Maybe
by RedWheeler
Summary: They can't deny their past, but why should that stand in the way of their future? MaxMariam. ABC Challenge Collection.
1. Again

**Note**: New project time! I'm going to give you a rundown on some rules I've given myself for this. First of all, it is an ABC Challenge. To make it harder on myself, I am going to be doing the letters in order and they will all be centered on MaxMariam (other pairings may show their faces, I don't know). Also going to try really hard to not make the given word painstakingly obvious; as well, I already have all my words selected for….

Speaking of which, need to give a big thank you to _**AzikaRue394**_ for giving me all 26 words about forever ago! Not to mention, thank you for putting up with my stupid questions and rants and just, overall, for being an awesome person.

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated and wanted. Please feel free to review as I really do value what you guys have to say!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Again

It was an endless stream of guilt, if anything.

The first time it happened, it surprised her. It wasn't often that someone delivering mail outside of town came beckoning down mountains asking for her. The poor guy was out of breath and sweating worse than Dunga on a hot day just to deliver a single letter to Mariam. Everyone in their small village came out of their houses or stopped working outside to see what it could possibly be; even the man who had delivered it, now on the ground rubbing his sore feet, looked up at her curiously.

Looking at the address that day, she frowned. With a roll of her eyes she walked away from the disappointed looks being cast her way; it wasn't of any interest to her to open the letter.

"H-hey," the mailman called out, "Aren't you going to open that...?"

She didn't reply, regretting going outside.

Mariam began regretting it every week as a routine started to unfold. The same man would come to their village with a single letter for her; each time with a hopeful gaze that she would open it. And each time she would take it with annoyance and retreat home to hide it from prying eyes.

Prying eyes came in many forms in her family. It started with the least harmful gaze of her Mother; her soft green eyes sending her meaningful glances as Mariam's attitude progressively got worse with every letter. Next was Joseph and his curious demeanor, wanting to grab the mysterious letters and tear the contents out into the open world. But he knew better; knew his older sister all too well to even try such a stunt. His narrowed stare at each delivery revealed this, for Mariam knew her little brother just as much.

But the main reason she had to wreck an inconspicuous floorboard in her room and dig a shallow hole to hide her letters was because of her Father. He didn't need more ammunition to resent her.

Since the day the Saint Shields had returned, her Father had positioned the blame on Mariam for their failed mission. No matter what Ozuma said, it did not seem to matter. It was _her_ fault, and only her fault. She was the straw that broke the camel's back. And it was all because of that boy too; being a girl, they should have known she would just mess things up because of a few cutesy words and some charm. It was safe to say Mariam didn't talk much to her Father.

He was one of the reasons she never bothered telling the team about the incident that occurred with the building collapsing with just her and Max in it. Details, details. What was important, at the time, had been the power injections that kid's 'blade was getting. If her Father knew what occurred that day…. Well, that was why she dug the hole in her room.

"Mar, you got another letter." Joseph often warned her of the incoming mailman. He found Mariam rather amusing in her state, frazzled and frustrated with each coming week. The green haired boy would actually sit casually on the roof of their house until he caught the first sights of the village being disrupted; then he would pop right outside of her window, feet linked to the roof so he wouldn't fall head first to the ground.

Annoyed, she got in the habit of slamming her window and making Joseph have to jump from his loss of footing to the dusty ground uncomfortably. It amazed Mariam that the whole town seemed so enthused about her constant fleet of letters still; the matter at hand had been going on for some time and the faint buzz of gossip was going around town. Most of the villagers tried to hide it from the knowing teenager, but there were a few girls that approached her with hearts dancing in their eyes. Most people speculated they were love letters in town, including her Father.

She honestly wouldn't know, having never opened a single one. Max struck her as a hopeless, lovey-dovey, head over heels kind of guy, so she wouldn't put it past him. That did not mean Mariam felt the same way, nor did it mean she was going to. The guy just couldn't take a hint.

"Hand it over," Mariam sighed, her palm held upward with aggravation.

"Aren't you ever going to open one?" the mailman asked exasperatedly, he plucked the worn letter from his journey out of his pocket. From the time this all started, the poor guy was starting to get used to the long distance between the villages, not needing to fall to the ground in despair and massage his feet. "You're not in the least bit curious?"

"Not really."

"Don't you ever write back…?"

"No."

"Isn't that a bit cold hearted?" the man quirked his head to the side, clearly feeling bad for the writer. "I mean… every week without a response…."

"I didn't ask for this," Mariam snapped, eyes narrowing into a penetrating glare. The man jumped, taking a step backward in caution; this had been the longest conversation the pair had had together and he did not expect the snarl in her voice. "So until he gets the message, you'll still be coming to town. Just give me the letters from now on and shut-up."

"Uh…," came the stammering reply as she retreated to her home.

Mariam quickly learned she shouldn't have said 'he' in her little spat with the mailman. The chatter amongst town became widespread, especially amongst the teenage girls that squealed in her presence, always causing her to roll her eyes. Her Mother decided it was best to smile at her sympathetically every chance she got and Joseph's glinting eyes became darker.

And her Father, well, he was inviting older boys from town over. Men, as he called them, who were training to be warriors in their town. Who knew why they still needed warriors, their enemy tribes had either given them peace after centuries of war or died out a long time ago. Mariam made it a point to ask them, amused to see their faces hot with frustration. Females weren't supposed to question their actions, but Mariam did not agree with that mindset, and as a factor, most men did not agree with her beyond looks.

It was yet another topic her Father would go on tirades for. Mariam broke too many traditions and disrupted the stereotypes set in town. It was one of the reasons why he had enlisted her in common female jobs upon her return: to make her more womanly. In town that meant polite, abiding, and conservative; everything Mariam wasn't. Even less so when she had to prepare vegetables, nicking her hands continuously and eliciting curse words from her lips loudly; that only got her in more trouble with the instructor.

Cooking was never her strong suit, but Mariam had hated it even more since the letters started coming. It was a hot spot for gossip and the teenage girls, all younger than her and better suited for stereotypes, tended to form groups around her, whispering with their eyes glued on the blue haired girl as if she may do something amazing at any moment.

"E-excuse me…?" One time a girl had approached her when the instructor had left for a few minutes, hand over her heart as her voice quaked. "What is he like?"

Feigning interest, Mariam cocked an eyebrow. "Ozuma?" A lot of girls asked about him, an optimal bachelor in town. Sometimes she would play with people and ask if they meant Dunga just to get a laugh. Most girls after hearing the burly teen's name gawked before shaking their heads furiously.

"No… the one boy," she threw a look for support over her shoulder where the other equally nervous girls had gathered in interest. "The one that writes you."

Thankfully, Mariam hadn't been cutting anything at the moment. She slammed her hands on the counter top forcefully, hoping to scare a majority of them away; if not, she sent a glare their way, telling them it was best not ask about _him_. Most of the giggly girls got the hint, hightailing it off until their instructor returned. Unfortunately there were a few left looking at her.

"Yes?" the blue haired girl asked annoyed, gritting her teeth.

The girls spared glances amongst themselves, shrugging their shoulders and walking away, making sure Mariam saw their dirty looks. "What's her problem, anyway?" one of the girls spoke loudly enough for her to overhear, "With that attitude, she should be happy a boy is even writing her…."

And yet, she wasn't.

The letters were mounting in their shallow grave; she would soon need to dig another hole or make the present one deeper. Mariam couldn't fathom how one fifteen year old boy had so much to say to her; how he could still think she wanted to hear from him after all this time. She was on the verge of writing a letter of her own telling him to stop and that she could care less if she ever saw him again.

He had an entirely different idea.

"What the…?" Joseph yelled from on top of the roof, his voice cut off by a loud noise that seemed to escalate throughout the sky. Mariam was one of many to go outside to see what the constant thudding sound was, running into the center of town, her brother on her heels, she had met with a huge crowd.

"A helicopter?" Ozuma asked skeptically. The team leader had already made his way to the center of their village by the time the siblings had gotten there. His fierce eyes darted toward the oldest member of the Saint Shields team, "Dunga, don't tell me you actually chartered one."

Huffing, the blond spat, "That was a few years ago I said that, Ozuma."

"What were you, waitlisted?" Joseph laughed, "What are we going to do with a helicopter?"

"I said I didn't do it!"

The buzz amongst town for once wasn't around Mariam as the village folk looked at the landing machine in the distance with wide eyes. Men started to come forward, bearing shields as they headed for the unknown. "This is what warriors are for," one of the men said to her as they passed, a cocky smile on his lips. She realized he must've been one of egos she tore down in her Father's presence now thinking he had one over her.

"Well, don't let it eat you," Mariam replied sarcastically, enjoying the fact the guy actually did a double take with concern written on his face.

Ozuma sighed, "I'll follow them."

"Ha. You think you're leaving us behind?" the blue haired girl smirked, nodding in the direction of her little brother and Dunga. In agreement, the two boys also nodded, signaling to their captain he had no other choice but to agree.

"Let's go then," Ozuma stated. Mariam had to be careful to make sure no men saw her approaching the odd machine as they already had other women and children under cover. The boys she was with now knew she could handle as much as any man, except for Dunga who still had some slight doubts. A helicopter was no threat though.

"Stay where you are or we'll attack!"

Well, they knew. The warriors, on the other hand, didn't seem too bright. Joseph cackled, catching their attention rather quickly, walking right up to the now stopped helicopter on the ground and kicking it lightly. "It's not alive," the green haired boy grinned.

Reddening, the warriors reluctantly lowered their shields and called back to town. "You can come out, there are no threats! We have secured the area! I repeat…."

"Oh, shut-up," Dunga scowled, pushing past the men. Most of them were half his size, it was quite comical to see the brute knock them aside as if they were ragdolls; sliding up to the door, he knocked rigidly to tell whoever was inside to get out now. A click motioned for the blond to step back as the door was about to open, obeying he allowed the door to move upward into the sky to reveal the occupant.

"Guess we parked a little too close, huh?" Nervous laughter flitted through the air as Mariam's gaze hardened. The crowd of villagers approached the helicopter, staring at the boy standing within who was wearing a lopsided grin.

"Max?" Joseph broke the silence, genuinely surprised to see the teen for the first time in two years. His mischievous eyes glinted for a moment knowingly, passing a glance to his sister before widening. "Uh-oh…. How fast can that thing take off?"

Jumping down carefully, the sole blue eyed boy shrugged. "Uh… I don't know. You would probably have to ask the pilot." Running a hand through his blond hair, he purposely messed it up while he looked around curiously at his surroundings. Noticing the large crowd, he smiled sheepishly, "I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"Who are you?" One of the warrior boys demanded, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And why did you come here?"

"He's not a threat," Ozuma answered, pulling the warrior back. "He has Draciel." A silence befell the crowd in that single statement making Max even more nervous than before. Everyone knew what the dual haired boy had meant in that statement; what power the kid held.

"You're one of them, then," the warrior deducted; unimpressed, he started to break away from the crowd and was followed by the rest of the warriors. Max was left still rather awestruck at the attention he was receiving and the only thing he could do was smile awkwardly.

"I really didn't mean to cause such a disturbance, I just…," Max sighed, his statement trailing off as his gaze fell to Mariam, "… wanted to visit."

The blue haired girl huffed with a roll of her eyes, she pushed through the crowd, as Dunga had earlier, not caring about the hurt look on the kid's face she knew would be there. The remaining Saint Shield team watched her retreating form alongside the Bladebreaker; the lingering crowd was now whispering vividly, nudging each other with wide eyes and nods. Mariam was really starting to hate the attention she was getting.

Avoiding the ordeal, Mariam lounged within her room. She was skipping her cooking classes to avoid the drama the giggling girls were sure to bring up and at home was the best place to steer clear of Max, the last person she wanted to see.

"He came here to see you, you know?" Joseph quipped. Somehow her brother had managed to sit on her windowsill without her noticing, his feet dangling outside in case he was pushed. "People are starting to catch on anyway… even Dunga, who finds it hilarious." Hearing the green haired boy's snickering, Mariam abruptly stood up from her bed with a growl.

"There's _nothing_ to catch on to."

Joseph shrugged helplessly, twisting his body so that he faced his older sister. "I don't know what to tell you, Sis," jumping into the room, he smiled sympathetically, "He's here. You don't talk to him when people see you, people are going to think something is going on behind closed doors…."

Growling again, Mariam knew her little brother was right and that her plan wasn't going to work after all. And without a word she marched out of the house and made her way toward the stationary helicopter where the blond boy was sitting cross legged on the ground, answering questions with a loose smile for a bunch of village women. Max was quite the attraction in town.

The blue of his eyes brightened when Max noticed Mariam approaching him, bouncing to his feet suddenly, the other women that had gathered looked over their shoulders to notice her as well. Sending their farewells, the women made sure to smile at the blue haired girl as they passed. "Mariam," the teen said casually, "How are you?"

"Shut it," Mariam scowled, hands on his shoulders as soon as she was close to him. With force, she pushed him against the helicopter and glared at him mere inches from his face. "What is your problem? Get a clue, Max. If I didn't reply to any of your _stupid_ love letters, what made you think I actually wanted to see you?"

Max gulped from his position. Her hands were pushing him against the metal of the helicopter quite hard, but their proximity captured his attention more as he gawked. His blue eyes struggled to keep up with her penetrating gaze, ducking his head down and glancing past her to see a few bystanders watching them curiously. "I… I knew you didn't read my letters…," the blond finally muttered in disappointment.

Saying a few things Max didn't understand, Mariam seriously contemplated hitting the boy for not listening to what she had actually said. "I don't want you here. You're giving everyone in the town the wrong idea about us. _Nothing_ is even going on between us, no matter what you came up with in that prepubescent brain of yours!"

Max gave her an incredulous look. "You're the one who has me pushed up against a helicopter."

The blond haired boy flinched when Mariam had actually growled at the comment, fearing that her fist would soon find its way to his face. Her grip on his shoulders tightened momentarily before she relented and walked a few paces away from him as more foreign words were elicited from her mouth. "Leave," she demanded, her glare darkening further, "Now."

"I can't." Max moved away from the helicopter, rolling his shoulders to get the feeling back. "Everyone thinks I'm on vacation for the week and I already paid the pilot…."

"How is that my problem?"

"I guess it isn't, but I'm staying for the rest of the week."

"Of course," Mariam frowned, turning on her heels to walk away from the boy in haste. Her fists were clenched down at her sides, ready to swing at the nearest thing. "When aren't you difficult?"

Max sighed. "Yeah, well maybe you should actually read my letters."

"What makes you think I haven't?"

Running a hand through his hair briefly, Max turned to climb into the vacant helicopter to make his own escape from the other teen. "It's pretty obvious," he stated simply, disappearing into the large vehicle without another word.

Mariam watched over her shoulder as he closed the helicopter's door behind him, much to her annoyance. Rolling her eyes, she marched back toward her home with rigid movements. She made sure to scowl at every person she passed, their expressions changing from curiosity to fear as they looked in the opposite direction as fast as they could.

Her arrival at home was signaled by the slam of the front door and eventually the slam of her bedroom door. No one dared bother her, news of the event had likely spread like wild fire across town. Hours were spent alone in her room, pacing and lying about in unspeakable frustration. Every now and then her gaze would fall to the ruined floorboard that hid the grave of Max's letters, all unopened and anger inducing.

Her eyes were trained on the floorboard my midweek, annoyance with Max's presence still in town boiling over to a new high. Mariam had never felt so livid in her life. She desperately wanted to shove every letter Max had written down his throat, have him swallow his words. The floorboard was becoming as obnoxious as he was, its existence all too obvious and mocking in the middle of her room.

It bothered her how he had known she hadn't read his letters. Max's general smugness got on her nerves; as if those letters weren't some confession of undying love. She didn't know who he was trying to kid. Honestly, knowing how annoying Max had been when trying to be just her friend, Mariam wasn't sure how the letters could be anything but a waterfall of lovey-dovey emotions.

Her aggravation and the silent taunting of the letter grave drove Mariam to finally succumb to many months of avoidance. Sitting on the ground, she carefully lifted the floorboard out of its place using her nails and discarded it to her left. Her eyes peered downward into the hole filled to the brim with sealed envelopes tossed every which way in an attempt to forget them as quickly as possible. With a sigh, she grabbed handful after handful and laid them beside her so that she could put them in order starting at the earliest; she needed to know exactly how long it took before Max even uttered a hint of romantic interest.

Holding the first letter in her hands, dirty from its time within the confines of the hole, Mariam reluctantly ripped open the seal. Removing the paper from within, she realized the blond had handwritten his thoughts in messy blue and that the letter itself wasn't that long. Leaning against her bed, Mariam let out another deep sigh knowing she was in for a long night of ridiculous sweet nothings and hormonal boy talk.

"_Dear Mariam,_

_I'm writing this letter to you and the rest of the Saint Shields so that you know the truth. The media is having a heyday and rumours are going wild lately and I think it is important that you know what is going on._

_Ray, Kai, and I have left the Bladebreakers. They changed the rules for the newest competition, and for our own reasons, we each left to have an equal chance in the game we love._

_I don't want you to think, that because we're not a team right now, that the bit beasts are at risk. We would never let anything bad happen to them, as you know. Without a doubt in my mind, we would come back together to protect them in a heartbeat._

_I just wanted to tell you firsthand about what is going on. I didn't want you to think that the bit beasts were suddenly in danger. I hope everything is going well with you guys, we haven't seen you in a while. Maybe one day we can all have a rematch!_

_Sincerely,_

_Max._"

Mariam stared at the letter. No connotations at all. He had honestly written her in an attempt to stop a possible catastrophe within their clan. The Saint Shields had not heard a thing about these new rules, nor about the Bladebreakers splitting up, which was honestly a good thing. Those that had grumbled on her team's decision to let some boys, as they put it, keep the sacred bit beasts would have lost it; probably would have sent another team in after them.

Her gaze shifted to the other letters that now littered the floor of her bedroom, doubting it was possible that all the letters were similar to the first. There was no way she misread the situation; Max was obviously in love with her, he had to be. No logical person would rent a helicopter to stop by for a visit.

Yet every letter she opened was informative, just keeping them up to date with what was going on in their lives. Max was sure to tell them that all four of the sacred bit beasts were fine and finished with the thought that he wished for a rematch one day.

"_Dear Mariam,_

_The BBA has been taken over by someone who has threatened our bit beasts before. Not a lot of people seem concerned, but we have decided to band together to take them down._

_I don't know what's going to happen. Honestly, I don't expect a fair fight._

_If something comes up, I'll be sure to write you again._

_Max._"

Mariam had grown annoyed as she opened letter after letter, finding that the boy had been on a strictly business agenda. She had suffered through the torment of her townsfolk, their giggling and dreamy sighs, this whole time and Max was just being informative. Mariam still wanted to shove the letters down his throat, but now for a whole new reason. How could she have been so stupid?

She did, however, discover what was happening in the world outside of her small tribe. She knew now that the Bladebreakers had split up, only to be formed as an entirely new team later to protect the Beyblading world. She knew that they eventually won out and the BBA was reinstated and that their bit beasts had never been in any danger. She knew that Max was happy they didn't have to come down and help protect them, but was sad because he hadn't seen them in such a long time.

Setting another letter aside, Mariam looked to the pile of sealed envelopes that laid before her. It was late at night and her eyes stung from reading through her sleepiness, yet she didn't know if she could stop – if she could let herself be wrong. She swore that she saw something when Max looked at her with those blue eyes of his, but with each letter she was proven wrong. They were simplistic. To the point. Mariam considered giving up, just throw the letters, opened and unopened, back into their grave and just let Max be his annoying self.

Mariam rubbed her eyes briefly, leaning forward to grab just one last letter. From the moment her hands touched the envelope, she noticed the difference. It was thicker than the others. Ripping the seal effortlessly, she removed the contents. The pages were somewhat worn compared to the others, wrinkled and warped from being moved about. The blue pen also seemed hastier at first glance, his words occasionally running into each other and slanted every which way. Curious, the female leaned back in her previous position against the bed.

"_Dear Mariam,_

_If you've been reading my letters, and something tells me you haven't, I know this will be the one where you stop. Probably the one where you start to hate me, if you don't already. I wouldn't be surprised if you threw this one out like all the others… and I guess I am okay with that._

_I'm writing this letter for me._

_Don't get me wrong, I was thinking about Draciel every time I wrote you. Tyson and the guys might not have thought about the impact of our actions on you and your tribe, but I did. I really didn't want to see you guys getting into trouble for our personal affairs. You guys having our backs when it comes to the bit beasts means a lot, I know it gives me peace of mind._

_But at the same time… I was thinking of you._

_I guess I was just really hoping to turn around and see you with the rest of the Saint Shields. Maybe that's a little selfish though, wanting to see you again. It's been such a long time and I can't stop my brain from going back to those days where I tried too hard to be your friend. I was pretty obvious and you saw right through me. I wasn't even going to write you again._

_But now I can't help but wonder if I'm crazy? Did things not happen the way I remember them? I thought we left off on good standing. Well, the best standing a thirteen year old boy could hope for. Maybe I just deluded myself into thinking there was something there, that you finally thought more of me than just some kid._

_Maybe I'm just in love._

_Maybe when I think about you it keeps me up all night. My mind just gravitates to you. Everything about you, every memory. Your hair, your eyes… your confidence. I never met anyone who holds themselves like you do. It drives me insane. I think of the perfect things to say and what I would do if I ever saw you again and I just draw blanks._

_It kills me to think that you could be in love with someone else. At the same time, I want you to be happy. You deserve it. And, whoever he is, better treat you like the world. If he doesn't, he doesn't realize how lucky he is and doesn't deserve you._

_You probably think I am just some lovesick teenager. To be honest, I probably am. That would explain why my heart does flips when I think about you and how I rehearse what I'll say if I, by chance, see you again._

_If you read this letter whole letter without throwing it out, thank you._

_If you didn't, I think I'm okay with that. I just needed a channel to get these feelings out 'cause my brain feels like it's drowning and I can't get to sleep. Maybe one day I'll get over you. Move on from whatever I made myself believe as a kid. Then again, maybe I don't want to. Maybe I like the way you just sift through my brain and catch me breathless._

_I don't know how I can say it any other way, I love you._

_Max._"

And suddenly there it was. The turning point. The letters turned into rambling confessions, the ones Mariam imagined they were all along. She couldn't help but smirk at how head over heels he seemed, going on about how much he thought about her and questioning whether or not his feelings were normal.

It was obvious Max had grown confident with his words as the letters progressed, relying on the fact that she was discarding his letters without a second thought. Where at first he had been somewhat contradictory and all over the place, he found his footing and spoke with such softness about everything he believed her to be. He went on tangents for paragraphs about how beautiful she was in one letter while the next he spoke about her being the strongest woman he had ever met. To be honest, Mariam felt flattered.

Yet, at the same time, it bothered her. He was three years her junior and had no experience in relationships, how could he possibly know what being in love felt like? Max built her up on a pedestal like she was some Goddess. And while reading his newer letters left Mariam charmed, she knew all of it was far from the truth. That didn't stop her heart from fluttering whenever she read something extra sweet though, much to her annoyance. Mariam felt she should be smarter than this; cutesy words shouldn't be getting the best of her.

But they were and it was getting ridiculous.

Mariam had finished reading all the letters sometime in the middle of the night. Not even remembering falling asleep, she awoke on her bedroom floor amongst a sea of paper. Her Father was knocking on the door harshly, angered by her absence in all of her responsibilities for the past week. She barely listened to him as he droned on, not being a morning person. Instead, she collected the letters and placed them within their grave once again and quietly eased the floorboard back into its resting point.

"Mariam!"

"I know, I heard you!"

Although this was a lie, Mariam knew her destination in town was essentially the gossip hub that was more formally known as cooking class. Upon her arrival, the younger teenage girls stared in awe and whispered to each other as their gazes remained on her. The instructor, clearly unimpressed with Mariam's nonchalance over being gone for so long, merely sneered and continued teaching.

This was how the day went. Giddy girls watching her closely, nudging each other, and making up stupid dreamy stories of romance; all the while, Mariam fought the urge to vocalize her annoyance, and instead opted to send rigid glares. The instructor's temperament was tested continually, her voice rising to speak over incessant giggling or have a minor argument with Mariam due to her apparent attitude.

It finally boiled down to a point where the instructor threw her hands in the air and called for a break before leaving the room with a huff. Luckily for Mariam, her classmates decided to follow the instructor and empty the room out completely. What struck her as odd was that their constant need to chatter suddenly died away before doing so and she had not made a threatening move toward them in a while.

"Mariam…?"

That explained it. Max. Tensing from her spot at a counter, she didn't bother to turn around and face him. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"I am," he said softly. She could hear him shuffle from his position in the room, and much to her dismay, it sounded like he was getting closer. "I'm leaving soon…. I just wanted to say goodbye and explain to you why I came here in the first place. The Bladebreakers, we…."

"Split up," Mariam interrupted him, her voice on edge and silencing Max right away. "I know."

"How…?"

"I read your letters." Max didn't say anything. With a roll of her eyes, Mariam reluctantly turned around to face the boy, her back to the counter as she leaned against it casually. "_All_ of them. So you can stop playing games. Oh, and don't give me that crap about you really being here over the Bladebreakers. I'm not stupid. They ended up being love letters so I don't know why you were being so high and mighty."

The blond ran a hand through his hair, his face flushing. "I never said you were stupid," he told her lightly, his voice a direct contrast to her cutting tone. "I just wanted to be honest with you."

"I think you've said enough."

Max nodded slowly, taking in her words. He approached her further, making his way around the counter tops that made up the classroom to be across from her. This made Mariam frown as reminders of how stubborn the boy could be came rushing back. "I think you're scared to let anyone get close to you."

"Oh God," Mariam groaned, already unimpressed with where the conversation was going. "Give me a break, Max. What makes you think that you know me better than I know myself?"

"I never said that either," he smiled warmly. Max then just stared at her for a few seconds in silence, his eyes showing hints of sadness as he did his best to conceal it. "I'm sorry that my letters… _I_ have been bothering you. I guess it was all just in my mind," the boy continued softly, "I won't write you anymore… and if I see you again, I guess it is your call."

Mariam didn't say anything, sensing a 'but' in his statement.

"I just… I don't want to leave here with any regrets." And for the same stupid reason Mariam let herself be charmed by his letters, she also managed to let his lips meet hers without even realizing it. It was like one moment Max was being hard to decipher from a safe distance away, the next he was kissing her with his hands resting on the counter top on each side of her. What was worse was that fluttering feeling was coming back and her brain wasn't in the least bit alarmed with what was going on.

Needing to pull herself out of the situation, Mariam placed her hands on his shoulders to push him away as easily as possible. But the mere touch of her hands made Max break away from the kiss and step back, his hands away from her sides, and his face a slight shade of red. Neither of them said anything to each other; Max's head ducked down sheepishly and Mariam between herself on what to do.

The chatter of approaching classmates brought them out of their stupor as their eyes met each other a final time. "I should go…," Max finally murmured as students filed into the room, their eyes on the pair with glee. "Goodbye, Mariam."

With that, the blond haired boy ushered himself out of the room in silence. His head was tucked down to avoid the gazes of the teenage girls swooning after him as he eventually vanished behind a corner. Mariam watched the door quietly for a moment, having a battle with herself to follow after the former Bladebreaker or not. Logically, she told herself she shouldn't. However, that lovely fluttering feeling kept intervening and telling her otherwise.

Max was leaving and that's what she wanted this whole time. She didn't care about how he knew all the right things to say, even when his words were jumbled beyond repair, or how utterly stuck on her he seemed to be. It didn't matter that when he kissed her she felt a jolt go through her system and that she had been tempted to kiss him back.

Something was definitely wrong with her. That's what Mariam decided when she stormed out of the room, brushing past the instructor in the hallway on her way out of the building. She had never felt more stupid than now, rushing after a boy that gave her life so much grief. Upon exiting the building, she could see the helicopter parked in the distance and Max and the pilot standing outside talking.

Getting closer the vehicle, the pilot was boarding the helicopter as Max watched after him. "Wait," Mariam called relatively loudly. She did not need another audience full of gushing romantics, but she did want the boy to stay a tad longer.

Max looked in her direction, his features lighting up. "Can you give me a minute?" he asked the pilot. The man gave him a nod from his position in the helicopter. Swinging a bag off of his shoulder, Max handed it to the pilot to put on board before meeting Mariam halfway. He stared at her curiously, a smile beckoning on his lips.

"You can't leave here thinking I'm perfect." The simple statement brought an incredulous expression to Max's face, not that it lasted long. The next thing the boy knew, Mariam had rested her hands on both sides of his face around his jaw line and pulled him into a slow kiss. It caused Max to completely freeze and Mariam to smirk at the effect she had on him. When Max finally realized what was going on and figured he should probably kiss back, Mariam teasingly broke away.

Her hands drifted away from his face back to her sides and Max was left in numbing confusion. "Was… that supposed to be bad…?" Mariam half expected him to go on a tangent, much like his letters, about it being the complete opposite of bad.

"I have other flights scheduled for today."

Max broke his stare from Mariam to glance at the pilot, mildly annoyed. "Yeah, just give me a second." He took Mariam by the arm and led her somewhat away from the helicopter. "I… I don't understand."

It was her turn to break their gaze as she looked around her village. Unfortunately for her, there were a lot of people outside and all of them seemed to be staring their way rather obviously. "I'm expecting a letter detailing what was going through your mind just then…."

"A… letter?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed her agreement, enjoying the hopefulness that was starting to inflate his words. It was then that Mariam caught sight of her Father, a frown evident on his lips even from as far as he was. "I can't guarantee I'll be able to write you as much, I have some issues I need to work out here first. Maybe then you won't think I'm so perfect."

"I don't think that's possible," Max told her with a shrug. "Other guys in town may want to change you, say they've tamed you. I wouldn't ever ask you to change. I mean… I know everyone has their faults, but who you are… I think we'd be perfect together."

"Give it some time."

Max pulled a smile. "What if your plan backfires and I never stop feeling this way about you?"

"I really hate to interrupt, but we got to get moving!" The pilot shouted from the helicopter, making a motion with his watch as he leaned out the open door.

Mariam smirked at the slight lapse of anger that crossed Max's features. "Then I guess I'll be stuck with you, won't I?"

"I'm not really seeing the downside." Max gave her a lopsided smile.

"You should probably get going…." Mariam told him, nodding toward the helicopter and the growing impatient pilot. Max made a grunt of disappointment before he edged forward to give Mariam another kiss. Unfortunately she stopped him, placing a single finger on his lips and watching his expression crumble. "My Father's over there and I'm sure he's already looking for a reason to kill you…."

"Right…," he nodded a few times, a tad crestfallen. Max reluctantly started to move back toward the helicopter, his gaze glued to Mariam. "I hate that I have to leave like this… but I'll write you, I promise. If you want me to that is…?"

"Be sure to tell me where you are so I can stop by for a visit." His face lit up at the news and Mariam had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"I will! Goodbye!"

"Bye."

Mariam watched as the pilot took his position in the helicopter, Max boarding and sealing the door shut. She was joined by the town, their eyes on the machine as the blades began to spin faster and faster before it ascended into the sky and eventually vanished into the distance. Without a word, Mariam made her way back home, past the gossipy girls, her silent team mates, and her seething Father to board herself up in her room.

Three days later Mariam was called to the center of town by Joseph, the all too familiar mailman had made his way to town with a single letter. He handed it to the teenager, not even bothering to ask for her name.

"Thought he gave up, didn't you?" the mailman joked, "First week in about a year or so he missed, isn't it?"

"Decided to change tactics. He flew down last week."

"Oh," the mailman said, sounding a bit worried for the letter writer. "Well, he can't be dead if he's still writing you letters. I suppose he's not getting your message?"

"I decided to change my message," Mariam stated simply, opening up the letter on the spot. The mailman gawked having never witnessed her open a single envelope before. Doing a quick once over of the letter, she smirked at the occasional thought she saw that jumped off of the pages. "Looks like you'll be delivering these for a while…."

Walking away from the mailman, who was still confused about what had just happened, Mariam once again took note of the people decorating her town, in particular the swooning girls. They weren't subtle with their giggling and they often sighed about having a boy like Max, so romantic and sweet. Mariam had even heard them talk a few times amongst themselves, when they believed her to be out of earshot, what a boy like him could see in her. To them it made no sense.

For Mariam, a part of her wanted to show them the letters. Point out in detail everything Max loved about her and rub it in their generic faces. But a bigger part of her wanted to keep them to herself, in their hidden home within her room, and she wasn't sure why.

Maybe she was in love.


	2. Bottle

**Note**: Want to start this off by mentioning something I forgot last time. Each installment of this challenge will most likely not be connected to the last; for example, Bottle has nothing to do with Again. I suppose a future word prompt could reflect a prior situation written, but I have no plans for it currently.

Want to give a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed: **Player Zero**, **AzikaRue394**, **JoiZ D**, **Ravengal101**, **Kamakaze Kheri**, and **Kenrai**! Really enjoyed hearing all of your thoughts and I hope you continue reading. Feedback is always loved.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Bottle

Dull was probably the best way to describe it.

Hilary had been working alongside Kenny's parents at their noodle shop for a few weeks, needing the money to eventually go away to school. Tyson had offered to get her involved somewhere in the BBA, but she turned him down. She didn't need the media and the Bladebreakers' more obsessed fangirls thinking she was getting more handouts, so she settled for the less luxurious job of waitressing.

It's not to say that the small noodle shop didn't do well, it was often packed by tourists when Beyblade tournaments were featured in town in hopes of seeing some famous 'bladers. Of course, that was when the teams avoided the shop and often opted for take-out. And the shop did have some regulars that littered the stools or their usual booths in the early morning, typically older men that suspiciously tipped her a little too well. But it also had a few hours during the day where it was absolutely empty and Hilary was left to clean the same tables over and over just so that she felt she actually earned the money Kenny's parents were giving her.

She had been pushing a broom up and down the restaurant when the bell above the door signaled a customer. Looking over her shoulder, Hilary squealed when she saw who it was and rested the broom against the counter before rushing over to the door.

"Max! You're back!" The door had barely closed behind him when the blond was suddenly bombarded by a hug, Hilary's arms wrapping around his neck tightly. He laughed returning the gesture. "How was New York?"

"Come on, we don't want to make Tyson too jealous, do we?" Hilary rolled her eyes at the statement, breaking away from the friendly hug. She didn't quite understand why the navy haired boy would care at all, but Max always made these little jokes when she hugged him. All she really knew was that Tyson had unsurprisingly pulled a bit of a temper tantrum once when she wasn't around, not that she knew what it was about. Seeing the expression on her face, Max cracked a smile, "It was good though, I just got back."

"I want to hear all about it!" Hilary smiled back at the boy. "Have you seen the guys yet, or are you just heading there now?"

"Actually…," Max scratched the back of his neck nervously, his expression becoming more troubled by the second. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I wanted to talk to you about something first…?"

"Oh," Hilary said somewhat confused. Concerned, she gestured for him to sit at a nearby booth so that they could discuss whatever was on his mind. "Can I get you something?"

"Sure. Uh… a pop?"

Hilary nodded, quickly running behind the counter to reach the beverages from the fridge. She returned to the booth Max was now seated at and handed him the bottle of pop she had retrieved for him. He smiled accepting the drink and twisting off the cap, acting as preoccupied as possible. She sat down across from him in the booth watching him carefully.

"Did something happen in New York?" Max was acting strange and it was starting to bother her. It was typical for him to be a little sad whenever he moved from the USA to Japan, or vice versa, but there was something different about him now. He seemed worried and reluctant to tell her something and it was easy for Hilary to see it was weighing on his mind.

Max sighed meeting Hilary's gaze again. "There's this girl…."

Hilary couldn't help herself, she squealed. The concern for her friend washed away and was replaced with ridiculous excitement. She knew that one day this would happen; one of her boys would fall in love and she could just swoon over the details as she watched them change before her eyes. "Max! What's her name? What is she like? Where did you meet her? Are you dating?" Hilary finished off her string of questions with another squeal she was unable to suppress.

Max stared at her uncertainly. He should have known this would have been her reaction. "Uh…."

"Sorry… I'll try to compose myself," Hilary smiled sheepishly. She couldn't help herself, it was a monumental day. Max was an utter sweetheart so she really wanted to hear about this girl that had him all frazzled. "So… what's her name?"

He bit his lip as he shuffled in the booth, his gaze falling to his drink. "It's Mariam."

"Mariam…?" Hilary repeated slowly. Her eyebrows furrowed together in thought as she took in Max's appearance; he remained in silence as he awaited her response. Suddenly it hit her. Hilary's mouth dropped open and her eyebrows shot upward in surprise as she leaned forward across the table, gaping at what the blond had just insinuated. "_Mariam_? As in… from the Saint Shields?"

Max nodded shyly. "Yeah, it's her."

Hilary didn't say anything right away, contemplating the situation. She found herself weighing even more questions on her mind, but didn't want to outright bombard the boy. She also did not want to tread on any possible sensitive subjects as it was quite obvious Max was waiting for them and he did come to her first for a reason. There were some heavy concerns in the air between the two friends and Hilary wasn't too sure how she could avoid them.

"You… just saw Mariam, not the other Saint Shields?" Hilary inquired, tapping her fingers on the table as she tried to form the conversation ahead as eloquently as possible. "I mean… are the others here…?" She didn't want to outright ask whether Max was challenged or if there was a repeat of their past ahead of them, but she saw from the expression on his face that he got the hint.

"Just her," he answered. His blue eyes then locked onto Hilary's with a trace of understanding. His features, for the most part, carried a sense of being torn on what to do. "She's travelling now. The other Saint Shields are back at home." Max ran a hand through his hair, a frown evident on his lips. He sighed. "Listen, I know what you're thinking…."

Hilary interjected, "I'm sorry Max. It's just… it's hard not to."

Max knew this; fully expected it from his team mates. "Believe me, I know. My Mom brings it up all the time…." Hilary saw his eyes flicker in annoyance at the comment, but it disappeared in seconds. "It took forever to convince Mariam I wasn't suspicious about her being in New York. I promise you Hilary, she's not up to anything like that."

"I…," Hilary bit her lip, hating the situation she was in. "You're not the one I have a hard time believing." She really didn't want to say that so bluntly and it bothered her even more when she saw the hurt look on Max's face.

"I found her in New York by accident," Max revealed, he took a quick drink from his pop and looked at the brunette hopefully. "Michael and Eddy heard about this female beyblader in the park and, you know how they are… I followed to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble. Then… there she was. I was as surprised as you are. Honest. I'm not going to say we didn't have a battle or two, but it was nothing like before."

Hilary pulled a smile for her friend. "She's travelling…?"

"Yeah. She can't really stand being at home for too long, I guess. Feels she doesn't fit in there." Max studied Hilary from across the table, seeing through her cool headed act quite easily. "If there's something that is bothering you about this, you can tell me. I wanted to talk to you about this first because… well, I know how badly the guys are going to react."

Hilary agreed. The other boys were going to have quite the fit. "I just… you're sure the Saint Shields aren't after the bit beasts again? I mean, sending Mariam after you like this would be a pretty good tactic. I just don't want to see you hurt." She let out a deep breath, finally letting her deepest worries out in the open.

Max cracked a smile at her statements, confusing Hilary. "I guess that would make sense if she didn't try to avoid me for the longest time. Getting Mariam to believe that I didn't think she was after Draciel and give me the time of day took a lot of effort. It was important to me that she didn't see us as enemies anymore and… it would also mean a lot if you didn't think that way either. Please, just give her a chance."

His eyes held so much hope as he looked at her pleadingly; it was quite startling to Hilary. She had never seen Max like this, sitting across from her with such dedication in his voice. This was important to him. Nothing else in the moment mattered. He had such confidence in Mariam that Hilary felt it would be ridiculous to not give her the benefit of the doubt. The way he talked about her, the fondness in his voice as he retraced his memories, it was like nothing else she saw from the flirty blond. Hilary smiled slyly as a realization dawned on her. "You're in love!"

Max blushed instantly deciding to break their eye contact so that he could take sudden interest in his drink once again. He really didn't know what to say to the comment and Hilary was giggling at the news with sudden fascination. Rubbing his neck sheepishly, he figured that she could be telling the truth; it would explain his lack of sleep and how his thoughts always travelled back to Mariam. He hated that they had to go their separate ways – him to Japan, her to China – after such a long time and it left a pang in his heart whenever he gave it some thought.

"I guess I am…," he admitted softly. Sort of obvious, Max figured, after actually thinking about it. If his feelings had always been this noticeable it would also explain Mariam's reluctance around him for some time back in New York and the skeptical looks she would send his way. The blond had believed his pining over the blue haired girl was well hidden, now looking at Hilary he was not so sure.

"So she's your girlfriend now?" Hilary asked curiously, leaning somewhat forward on the table with her elbows. She perched her head in her hands and waited for his response, excited about this new development in Max's life. Sure, Mariam wasn't her ideal choice for the boy, but the least she could do was support him. He was definitely going to need her there when Tyson and the others found out; maybe she should bring some earplugs with her to the dojo.

"Uh… I don't know," Max shifted around in his seat again at the question. "We haven't really talked about that…. We plan on seeing each other soon, but… I…. I really don't know."

Hilary rolled her eyes. She didn't really expect this from Max, out of the team, he was the most in tune with women and was often ashamed alongside her with how the others acted around girls. Always the flirt, she assumed Max would know if a girl was really interested in him or not. "Well, have you kissed?"

Max's face turned the darkest shade of red she had ever seen; it was up there with Kenny whenever he got within a foot of a girl. "Yeah." It was true, they had kissed. A lot. What started out as chance happenings whenever he thought he saw a glimpse of more than friendship turned into something he needed as much as air; at least, when he was around Mariam. She sort of made it a game to kiss him whenever his Mom was around as well; enjoying the trouble she caused most of the time. But then there would be times where they'd be alone and out of nowhere she would kiss him, gaining the upper hand. Either way, they had spent a good amount of time with their lips on each other.

Watching his expression change with his memories, Hilary snorted. All of a sudden Max seemed dreamy and a lot further away than across the table. "I'm sure she considers you her boyfriend," she giggled, breaking him out of his reverie.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just how you looked right then; I could tell." Hilary looked at him thoughtfully, finding traces of doubt still lingering on his features. "If you think about it, I guess both of you are in the same situation. I can't imagine how the rest of the Saint Shields are going to react. Maybe she just doesn't want to jump into anything too fast?"

"That sounds like Mariam…."

Hilary smiled. "I'm sure you two will make a cute couple."

"Thanks, Hilary." Max smiled back at her genuinely, a little more relaxed about the situation. He scooted out of the booth, drink in hand, as he gave a glance toward the door of the restaurant a little reluctantly. "I guess I should go see the guys now… I hope they have an open mind about this like you do. I really appreciate it."

Hilary stood up from the booth as well, understanding his desire to not tell the rest of the team of the new events in his life. "Max, if she makes you as happy as you look, I don't have a problem." She put a hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze for comfort. "You know what, I'll go ask Kenny's parents if I can leave early today so I can give you some support!"

"You don't have to do that, Hilary. Really. I already know what to expect…."

"Nonsense! You need someone on your side and I have experience in dealing with Tyson when he's on a tirade…!"

And to think, the day started off as dull.


	3. Candle

**Note**: Short installment this time. To tell you the truth, when I come up with the ideas, I seem to only have a rough estimate in my head about how long these will be. For example, the next one will probably be fairly long because I have so many ideas in my head for it that I can link together.

I would like to thank **Player** **Zero**, **AzikaRue394**, and **MePo** for their reviews, as always, they are greatly appreciated! I'm having fun writing these so I would love to hear from you guys and see what you think.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Candle

"Don't tell me Max left you here all alone… that wasn't very gentlemanly of him."

Mariam groaned. She didn't even have to look up from the magazine she was leafing through to know who owned the overconfident voice or if his idiot in crime was by his side. This situation was happening more and more, Judy would need Max to do something right before they left the BBA building and she was left in the waiting room for increasingly longer times. Then two of Max's American team mates would saunter into the room and pretend they were God's gift to women.

"What you reading there? Trying to find out who the man of your dreams is? You don't have to look very far, I'm right here."

"I wouldn't exactly use the word 'man' to describe you, Michael." It was impossible to ignore his arrogant attitude for long as he seemed to lack insight when it came to the opposite sex; Mariam glanced to him in boredom, a frown visible on his face from the comment. Eddy, who always seemed to be at his side, was snickering as he remained in the room's doorway.

"That wasn't very nice," Michael sighed, passing a glance to his friend. The baseball player sat next to Mariam on the couch in the waiting room, much to her annoyance. She could feel his eyes looking her up and down now that she had returned her gaze to the magazine in hopes the two losers would finally get the hint. At least when Max did the same thing he was attempting to be subtle; not to mention, whenever he was caught, he was utterly embarrassed and easily manipulated. Michael, on the other hand, disgusted her.

"You can stop staring anytime now."

Michael smirked, "Sorry, you're hot. Can't help it sometimes, you know?"

"Charming," Mariam retorted sarcastically. She threw the magazine on the table in front of them and stood up from the leather couch before Michael could slink any closer to her. Hands on her hips, she moved to a large window in the room that overlooked a training room for beybladers. In the reflection she could see the All Star approach her from behind, a smirk on his lips.

"I think we should stop lying to ourselves, Mariam. It's sweet that you're humouring Max, but come on… toss the kid aside. You need a man anyway. Besides, I know you can feel what's going on between us…." The capped boy leaned against the wall once again staring at her intently.

Mariam glowered, "You're such a great friend." Turning to glare at him, she took note that he had turned his back to her and was attempting to conceal something.

"Take a look at this!" Michael faced her and in his hand was a small candle sitting in a glass surrounding, the wick on top flickering with fire. He had an expression on his face that Mariam assumed she was supposed to find attractive as he leaned against the wall, smug as can be. "Do you know what this fire symbolizes? The feelings we have for each other. Tamed right now because of our dear friend Max, I'd be holding a jar full of melted wax otherwise."

Mariam snorted. "I think you mean that symbolizes your affection, mine looks quite different from that." Michael raised an eyebrow in interest, still all smirks. The blue haired girl rolled her eyes before blowing the candle out and again walking away from the boy. "There. That matches just how much I like you."

Eddy laughed from his spot in the doorway, "She got you there!"

"Shut-up!" Michael snapped, whipping the candle at his friend. "Girls are supposed to find that junk romantic."

"What are you guys doing…?" The new voice made Mariam smile as she turned to see Max as he walked into the room. With a sigh, he eyed both Michael and Eddy, "I thought I told you guys to leave Mariam alone?"

"Hey, I can't help it if I think it's rude to leave a pretty girl alone," Michael scowled, dragging his feet over to the couch before collapsing on it. Eddy finally left the confines of the doorway to do the same, but a smile was tugging at his lips as he looked to his brooding team mate beside him.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what my Mom's problem is lately." Max scratched the back of his head, his full attention on Mariam as he pulled an apologetic smile. It was pretty clear to her what Judy's problem was, but she decided against saying anything at the moment. Instead, with a hand on his cheek, she pulled him into a brief kiss causing both Michael and Eddy to grumble in their seats.

"You can make it up to me."

Max grinned, "Gladly." He passed a glance to his two team mates, oblivious to their jealous nature and their eyes trained on the fact that Mariam's hand had slid down to rest on his waist. "See you later, try to stay out of trouble?" The blue haired girl doubted that was possible if they managed to find another female in the vicinity.

The two boys waved them off, leaving Michael to sink further into the couch in frustration and Eddy to laugh at the situation. "How the heck did he score a girl like _that_?" the capped boy complained, placing his feet on the table with a thud.

"Dude, you got to admit, that candle bit was really lame," Eddy snickered, "You walked right into that!"

"Whatever. It's your turn next. What's your bright idea?"

"After that, I think I'll just need _any_ old idea to surpass you…. You should've seen your face."

"Yeah, well, wait until next time!"


	4. DadDaddy

**Note**: Allow me, first of all, to apologize for my absence. It's simple as school and work this time, thankfully. On the bright side, I have been working ahead on updates and this is the first of a few that I have prepared.

I'd like to wish a happy birthday to AzikaRue394 and a happy belated birthday to Kamakaze Kheri! This chapter is dedicated to the two of you as I know both of you are big MaxMariam fans.

Great thanks to **Player Zero**, **Kamakaze Kheri**, **MePo**, **Kenrai**, and **AzikaRue394** for reviewing! Truly means a lot. Love hearing what you guys have to say!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Dad/Daddy

It was always worse back home for Mariam.

She'd return to the small village she grew up in every few months, but she knew the time in between was growing longer. Joseph would be a few inches taller and his tongue would be sharper to catch up on lost time; her Mother would envelope her in a big hug, thankful to have another female around and to add that flavour that was missing to their household. Her Father, on the other hand, would behave differently.

It was evident to Mariam that he missed her a lot, but he was a silent man and often did not know how to handle his oldest child. Their conversations often ended in arguments and neither party knew how to express themselves properly, a lifetime of misunderstandings between them.

It didn't help that her Father went back and forth in acknowledging that she was involved with someone. One moment he would be spitting over her relationship with Max, the next he would be bringing boys over to their house as if he didn't exist. This, of course, lead to some disastrous blowups and the mounting conflict and stress eventually brought on the decision to bring the blond with her on these trips for support.

Max was unable to do much in the village, let alone these situations. He often just listened to Mariam after she reached her breaking point, nodding no matter if he could understand the language she was speaking or not. He didn't intrude or push, merely standing back with open arms. And though she was reluctant to admit it, Mariam found that his embrace was more soothing than anything she could ask for.

She felt bad with how her village treated outsiders, especially those carrying sacred bit beasts. Max was often left sitting under trees while Mariam took up whatever business her Father discovered for her. The first few times this occurred, she'd see Max in passing, lazing about by himself on the outskirts of town. He would later say this didn't bother him, but Mariam could see it in his eyes that he was uncomfortable. Max didn't have a very hard shell and was visibly hurt that a lot of the villagers didn't approve of his presence or their relationship.

And by a lot of the villagers, she meant the majority of the men. They were either too centered on what was once their mission, like her Father, or had their eyes on her in a way she did not appreciate. Max was in the way in any case. This meant they treated him with scowls or with harsh words in a language he did not understand.

The female population of the village, however, adored him. Older ladies in town would go out of their way to greet him, make sure he was comfortable and have small talk. Teenage girls would flutter about as well, breaking into giggles if he did as little as smile at them. Luckily this did not make Max arrogant, too oblivious to notice their affection and too absorbed in his own feelings to see any traces of jealousy Mariam gave off.

But for a long time Max remained by himself under some tree while Mariam was away. Then, one day, it suddenly changed. She had been cooling off after an argument at her Mother's work when chatter sprung up amongst some women who were looking out a window. Hearing something about the "sweet blond visiting" Mariam decided to peek out the window as well and there Max was, surrounded by a group of young girls. Intrigued, Mariam raised an eyebrow and watched closer.

Sitting cross legged on the ground, Max watched the girls, who were about five or six, weave flowers together to make crowns for their heads. Their laughter could be heard throughout the town and they seemed to be overjoyed at something Max had said to them. Moments later Max had flowers of his own in his hands as he concentrated on doing the same weaving movements, the little girls coaxing him with glee. Sitting around him, they helped him finish another flower crown and the moment he put it on his head with a smile they erupted into excited shrieks.

This started a multitude of things within the village. For one, whenever Max was under a tree he was no longer alone. The little girls in town loved the blond and quickly opened up their imaginative world to include him. Max told Mariam that they liked to pretend they were princesses, hence the crowns, and he'd go along with their games because it made them so happy. It was sweet, but Mariam acted indifferent to his actions as she did not want people to think she was going soft.

The men in town rolled their eyes and their tongues were weighed down by countless snide remarks. The women, alternatively, found Max's behaviour to be one of the sweetest things they had ever seen and it had become the talk of the town. They'd monitor windows to see what game they were playing and even Mariam would throw the blond a curious glance throughout the day.

The little girls just oozed adoration for Max. Mariam overheard the odd conversation between these girls' Mothers as well as the discussions that erupted when the girls themselves came into earshot. They would speak about how he lifted them up to reach the best flowers that were in bloom on the trees or how he gave them piggybacks pretending to be their trusty steed.

The snide boys in town personally loved how Max just let the girls put flowers in his hair as he sit or lay nonchalantly under a tree. They made it a point to tell Mariam that her boyfriend wasn't much of a man, leaving the blue haired girl to roll her eyes. She found this side of him endearing and truthfully she didn't mind picking the odd flower out of his hair afterwards if it meant she could get close to him.

And it wasn't just the older males in town that were standoffish towards Max; it seeped down to the younger generation. Mariam took note that the young boys in town, when not in training to follow in the warrior footsteps, regarded the blond playing with the girls skeptically. Their eyes were trained in curiosity as Max would lift the girls high above his shoulders or scramble around in their antics. It was clear they were confused as to why a boy the same age as some of the warriors was fooling around in such a way and as the games continued they seemed to feel a little left out.

Of course, Max also noticed this. One day he called out to them to join in some imaginative game the little girls created and they did, reluctantly, join. It took them a little while, but they did eventually warm to the idea of acting their age and just laughing giddily as events unfolded before them. In a few days they were tackling Max to the ground and wrestling with him to protect their princesses, though they too enjoyed the odd piggyback ride courtesy of the young teen.

The warriors saw this as a disgrace and openly scowled at the behaviour their younger generation was displaying and the little boys would stray from the activity for a little while. Fun always trumped their closed mindedness in the end as the boys would be leaping back at Max in a matter of hours.

The women in town loved Max's patience and attitude with the kids, constantly commenting about how sweet he was to them for never turning them away. These comments were mentioned even louder when they noted Mariam's presence, their eyes locked on her with their all-knowing gazes. They went out of their way to tell the girl that Max was absolutely perfect and she knew very well that their top priority in that definition was for children. Mariam merely ignored the impending subject, often acting as if her boyfriend's behaviour was average.

Deep down she knew it was spectacular. That Max was absolutely amazing with children and that he loved spending time with them indefinitely, as long as she wasn't around to get distracted by, and that without a doubt his life involved kids of his own. Unfortunately, Mariam knew kids were never part of her plan, not having that deep affection and patience for them like her boyfriend. As lovely and heart-wrenching watching Max fool around was, Mariam simply couldn't imagine being a Mother.

"Excuse me, Mariam?" One day Mariam had been taking a break outside when a little girl had wandered over to her, hands behind her back shyly. "Max wanted me to give these to you!" She revealed a handful of picked flowers and held them forward for the blue haired teenager.

"Oh?" Mariam asked taking the flowers carefully.

"He said he was too shy to give these to you…," the little girl continued in a hushed tone, leaning on her toes forward to spread the secret. "We helped him pick the flowers because he didn't know how to tell you how much he liked you. He said you were really, really, _really_ beautiful." The girl giggled. "Are you his girlfriend, Mariam? If not, I think you should be. He talks about you a lot and he gives great piggyback rides."

"Well, he might have to be my boyfriend if he keeps saying such nice things about me." It was hard for Mariam, having to withhold her typical sarcasm at his cheesy gesture. Instead she locked her gaze on Max, who was under a tree as kids slowly dispersed away from him as lunch time settled in. "I think I'll go thank him for the flowers."

The little girl smiled, "Okay! Bye Mariam."

Max had noticed Mariam approach him, a smile on his face as he lifted himself up off the grassy ground. "What do I owe this honour? I usually don't get to see you until it's pretty late."

"I heard a rumour that you _may_ have a thing for me; wanted to go right to the source to see if it's true." Mariam sighed taking in his appearance now that they were reunited under one of the trees that decorated the village. His hair was more disheveled than usual and his clothes showed signs of grass stains and mud, but what bothered her was the fresh scrape that stood out on his chin. "What happened to your face?"

"Huh? Oh, I was accidentally kicked by one of the kids when we were wrestling." Mariam's hand gently reached out to cup his cheek, her thumb brushing against the wound with care. Max had never been fond of being nursed over, but when Mariam let her guard down enough to shower him with her undivided attention and care he found himself not bothered too much. "I'd appreciate it if you kissed it better."

"Hmm." Mariam hummed in amusement, dropping her hand down to his shoulder. "I think you should stop hanging around Michael and Eddy, you're picking up some bad habits."

Max laughed, "I was just kidding." He took in her appearance with his usual dorky smile stuck to his face, her eyes rolling at his utter admiration. "Your Dad giving you a hard time?"

"As always."

"Is something else bothering you…?" Mariam eyed him curiously; concern was etched on his face as he read into her expression. "It's just… usually you're angry. You kind of look like something is bugging you. Do you want to talk about it…?"

Max never pressured situations with Mariam. He knew all too well that she just bottled things up until she exploded and there was no real use in constantly poking at the truth. When Mariam wanted to talk about something, she picked the time. Rushing her only caused monumental arguments with word flinging of varying languages and the odd soul-crushing silence that tormented Max. The blond quickly realized it was best to just be there when she wanted him around, silent but as doting at ever.

She bit her lip in deep thought for a moment, removing her hand from her boyfriend's shoulder to cross her arms. "Just you and those kids…."

Max quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." Mariam tried to shrug him off, her voice clearly on edge as she turned her attention elsewhere. She decided to walk further away from the tree and the village.

Max followed her. "Doesn't sound like nothing." He wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand removing the beads of sweat that had gathered from his adventurous morning. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." She answered swiftly. Silent, Mariam listened to Max's footsteps behind her. "You're just really good with those kids. You're the talk of the town." This wasn't necessarily new to the American; he caused gossip in the village when he wasn't even there.

Picking up the pace, Max ducked in front of her. He sighed reaching out and putting a stop to her journey; he placed his hands softly on her arms. "Listen… I can stop hanging out with the kids so much if the people in town are bothering you…."

"No…," Mariam hesitated, "It's not that either…. It's… it's…. I don't want kids."

Max stared at her blankly for a few moments, opening and closing his mouth in confusion a couple times. "I… what? Where did that come from?" His face turned a slight shade of red and his tender grip on her arms faltered at the subject matter.

"It's pretty obvious Max. You're great with kids, you love them. It would be stupid for you to grow up and not have them," Mariam explained curtly. His blue eyes were locked on her incredulously; he had been struck right out of left field and was now floundering to know where this was going. "I'm not. I don't have the patience and, to tell you the truth, I've never wanted any. It would be selfish of me to keep you from something so important in your life…."

"Are you trying to break up with me…? When did this suddenly become such a big thing?" Max's grip tightened on her arms again, shuffling closer. "Mar, we're still just teens. I haven't really decided if I want kids yet, so…."

Mariam's gaze hardened on him. "Liar. I think it is pretty obvious we have completely different ideas on our future. I can't imagine you without kids. My future doesn't have that."

"If that's what you think then I guess our ideas are really different," the blond sighed. He pulled a smile, letting his eyes fall to the grass and their feet. "The only thing I know for sure about my future is that you're in it. I don't see kids… at least not yet, anyway."

"You don't see kids?" Mariam challenged. This was love struck Max they were talking about, the boy who fell over his words when she got within a foot of him.

"Well… not seriously."

"My point exactly."

"You're mad because I think of our future together?" Max said skeptically. "Mariam, I was trying to say… no matter what I daydream up, only one factor stays the same. You. You're my future, not these imaginary kids. Maybe one day they'll mean a lot more to me, but for right now when I think about what is going to happen down the road, I see you. If we have kids, we have kids. If we don't, we don't. All I know is that I want you."

"You're ridiculous." Mariam met his gaze cautiously; a smile was worn on his face sincerely. "You can't tell me… I couldn't live with myself if I stopped you from having something you really wanted."

"Then don't break up with me over something that doesn't matter right now," Max said honestly, "We have plenty of time to talk about this stuff in our future. I don't really know how to make it any clearer that you're the only thing I really want right now in my life. I don't really know what you want me to say."

"I don't know," Mariam admitted. She felt like she was just dumping all of her built-up emotions on Max and she really didn't know what she expected. She didn't want to break up with him over something that was, as he had stated earlier, so far in their lives. But the way he put her up on a pedestal made her feel uneasy, as if he truly believed she trumped every other situation in his life when she knew that was impossible. "Promise me that… I don't know…. Just promise me you won't throw your life away for me."

It was obvious to Max that she was being completely serious. She didn't want to hold him back from something he hadn't even really thought of yet. "I promise," he nodded, "But you have to promise me the same thing. For anything, not just kids."

Mariam nodded in agreement. The serious tension between them was draining and the blue haired girl just gave up and embraced the boy, her arms locked around his neck tightly. He returned the gesture instantly knowing how hard it was for the girl to open up.

"Can you do me one more favour?" Mariam requested, her breath at his ear. Max hummed in acknowledgement. "Could you tone down how cute you are with those kids? It's distracting."


	5. Egg

**Note**: I wanted to have this update out a week or so ago. Plans fell through when I got sick (it's just vertigo, and while it is annoying, it is nothing serious) and I haven't really had a good time to work on this since. This is the only update I have prepared in full so I won't be able to get to more writing until I feel better. Sorry about that.

Thank you to **C-Fan**, **Kenrai**, **Kamakaze Kheri**, and **MePo** for the reviews! Your time and thoughts are very much appreciated!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Egg

Mariam wasn't a morning person. It never really clicked with her tribe where most people were up around dawn and well on their way to making most of their day. It was one of the reasons Mariam loved being away from her village; everything was worth it for moments like these.

Moments where she cocooned herself up in her blankets, her face hidden to much of the world so that the morning sun couldn't take her by surprise through the curtains. She loved it even when she was only half asleep lazing about in her own seclusion. At these times she didn't mind awaiting sleep to take her over again, it allowed her a peaceful time to reminisce.

Mariam had lost track of time last night at a diner with Max. She had had a long day in the park beating chumps for some spare money and he had finally escaped the claws of his Mother. When they weren't talking or eating, Mariam would look out the window at their booth and admire the lights of New York City at night, captivated by the scene of it all. Half the time, at any rate. The other half she humoured the blond by letting him just stare at her breathlessly as if he was getting away with it. Sometimes the boy was just too oblivious to her ways.

Just as Mariam was about to doze off once again, a knock on her hotel room door signaled her to somebody's presence. Unimpressed and groggy, Mariam begrudgingly broke free from her cocoon and stumbled toward the door. Reaching the door, she looked through the peep hole and immediately sighed.

The blue haired girl brushed her hands through her hair to make it look acceptable before unlocking the door and opening it partly. "Max," Mariam murmured sleepily, wiping at her eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"I know it's early…," he admitted shyly, "I just… I wanted to see you again."

"What time _is_ it?"

"A little after six," Max said sheepishly. Mariam nearly shut the door in his face, but managed to contain her annoyance in time. She leaned against the doorframe, hand over one of her eyes dramatically. "I wanted to see if you'd like to grab some breakfast with me."

"Honey…," Mariam sighed, she desperately just wanted to crawl back under her blankets. "It's six." When he didn't respond right away, she gave him her full attention. She expected to see a dejected look on his face, but instead she saw a grin. "What?"

"You just called me honey."

Mariam opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it in realization that yes the word had slipped out unwillingly. "I don't function very well this early in the morning, _Max_." His grin didn't falter, all too amused and probably too giddy with her Freudian slip. "If you even think of telling someone, I'll…."

"Relax. I won't." Max ducked his head down to the tacky carpet that was laid in the hallway. "So… no breakfast, huh? I just really wanted to spend time with you, I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's fine." This wasn't entirely true, but it was better than having the boy beat himself up over something so trivial. She took in his appearance, noting that he was wearing the clothes he usually used for working out. "Are you supposed to be running or something?"

"Yeah…," Max scratched the back of his head. "That's what my Mom thinks I'm doing right now. She's not the biggest fan of us spending so much time together so I thought this might be a good way to come see you."

"And I ruined it."

"No, don't think that. That's not what I meant at all." Max shook his head. Shrugging, the boy added, "We can always hang out later. You probably think it's silly… that I wanted to see you so bad again." He bit his lip in embarrassment. "Kind of pathetic, right?"

"Kind of sweet actually." His blue eyes bounced up to meet Mariam's gleefully. She smirked before giving him a long drawn out kiss reminiscent of the night before when they had said goodbye. "I'm going back to bed now. Think I can call you later when I get up?"

Breathless, he nodded absently. "Yeah. Sure. Goodnight."

"Great because I wouldn't mind a good morning kiss too."


	6. Fountain

**Note**: Here we go, finally another update. I've had this finished for quite some time, I just needed to sit down, edit, and gather my thoughts. Funnily enough, this addition to Maybe ended up being way more TyHil than MaxMariam. Just kind of happened. Mostly just hints for both pairings.

I'm going to try and have the next part out by the end of August. I'll try my best.

Many thanks to **Kamakaze** **Kheri**, **Kenrai**, **Louisreynolds**, **C-Fan**, and **MePo** for reviewing!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Fountain

"I give up, Max. This is impossible." Tyson sighed loudly in frustration. The blond haired boy couldn't help but sympathize with his best friend, it was the kind of hot day where their clothes kept clinging to them and making rounds in the crowded local mall was not the most ideal pass time.

"You can't give up, Tyson." Max pulled at the collar of his t-shirt for about the twentieth time that day, watching as the capped boy dragged his feet over to the surprisingly vacant fountain in the mall. Tyson collapsed on the cement surrounding wasting no time to lie down on his back with his hands over his face. "It's Hilary's birthday soon."

"I know!" Tyson said exasperatedly. "Believe me; you guys won't let me forget…."

"Sorry. We just don't want you to screw this up." Max smiled sheepishly, digging his hands into his pockets. "Eighteen is a pretty big birthday."

"Hey, I want to get her something good," Tyson said defensively. He brought his legs up so that his feet were flat on the surface of the fountain and his knees were bent before dropping his hands from his face. "I've been trying, you know? I know she deserves something great."

"Don't worry about it Tyson, we'll find something." Max craned his neck around, looking hopefully for some store to catch his eye. They had been out for what felt like hours, in and out of so many stores both had actually lost track. The blond felt bad for his friend, he was looking for something absolutely perfect and kept running into absolute duds.

Tyson turned his head to look at the boy incredulously. "There's nothing. I've used up all my ideas." He growled again, flailing his arms and accidentally punching the water beside him. He shook his hand off, not fazed by the surprise splash he had just caused. "I mean, I was going to get her a book or something. Did you see all those different kinds they had in there? It's insane! Plus, half of them were way too… weird. Didn't really seem like Hil's thing."

Max laughed. "What about an astrology book?"

"She has about a billion already. I wanted to get her something special." Tyson frowned at his predicament, though he was pleased that his friend hadn't teased him about his goal. "Flowers and candy don't last and I can't get her jewellery because she gets mad when you spend too much money on her."

"Maybe you should bring her to the mall instead? See if anything catches her eye."

Tyson sighed. "Tried it already."

"Really?" Max asked surprised, "When?"

"A week ago or something like that." Tyson took his hat off and placed it on one of his knees, his face fixed in thought. "I think she was on to me. She had been shopping like usual until she caught me actually paying attention and the only thing she really seemed to like were a pair of high heels in that store over there." Max watched as his friend waved his hand off in a direction to their left.

"Why didn't you think of that sooner?" the blond groaned. The sun's rays were beaming through the sunroof in the mall down on the customers and Max was growing tired of the heat.

Tyson shrugged as he weaved his hands through his navy hair in frustration. "Why does it matter? It doesn't help any."

Max stared at him skeptically. "You can get her the shoes."

"Yeah, I could," Tyson returned his gaze with a frown, "_If_ I knew her shoe size."

"You could've asked her or looked at her shoes…?"

"What? No!" Tyson shot up from his position on the fountain, careful to grab his hat in the process and not drop it to the water or the ground. "The last thing I want Hilary to think is that I have some kind of bizarre _thing_ for feet!"

Figuring that Tyson had a valid point, Max sighed in defeat. "So we're back at nothing?" The blond took a seat on the fountain beside his friend, debating whether or not falling back into the water would be worth the trouble of getting kicked out of the mall.

"What do you do?"

"About what…?"

"What kind of presents have you given that girl you've been seeing?"

Max froze at the question. There was a moment of silence between the two friends before Max turned his head slightly to look at Tyson who was staring at him curiously. The blond cleared his throat, "What girl?"

"The one you've obviously been seeing," Tyson repeated incredulously. "Everyone's been telling me to give you some space and that you'll talk to us when it is time, but really… you're not that great at keeping secrets. You write letters all the time, you take phone calls away from us. It's obviously a girl."

Max looked away wiping at his forehead with his hand. "I don't know…."

"Hey, I'm not asking for names." Tyson placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "I'm asking about presents."

Cracking a smile, Max shrugged. "She's not really like Hilary."

"She sounds fantastic already," Tyson grinned.

"You don't mean that."

"Nah," Tyson agreed. Fixing his hat, he placed it back properly on his head. "I just wish she could pick out her own present, you know?"

"Hey, maybe she could!" Max hit Tyson lightly in the shoulder to catch his attention. "You could get her a card or something and say that you owe her a pair of those heels. That way, you don't have to creep on her feet and she gets what she wants."

"Hey! We're geniuses!"

"You know what else you could do?" Max asked laughing as he high-fived Tyson at his revelation. "She could put use to those high heels right away if you brought her out for dinner. That way they're more than just shoes, they're special."

Scratching the back of his head, the boy looked to the floor to hide his embarrassment. "You think she'd like that…?" He bit his lip in thought, "I could even hint at the heels being needed in the card so she can't refuse them…."

"See?" Max slapped him on the back, "Now we just got to plan out the perfect evening. Do you think we could do that somewhere out of this heat?"

"I guess," Tyson grinned, suddenly pumped. "You know Max, you're a real Canasova."

"Uh… I think you mean Casanova, Tyson."


	7. GoldGolden

**Note**: Sorry for the lack of updates recently, school and work have been especially hectic and they take top priority. That being said, this will probably be the only update for a while. My sincerest apologies to anyone who has been waiting for this to be updated, believe me, it is just as frustrating to me.

Many thanks to **Player Zero**, **Kenrai**, **Kamakaze Kheri**, **C-Fan**, and **MePo** for taking the time to review! As always, it is very much appreciated.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Gold/Golden

The media only ever caught the good times.

The times where Max was nothing but grins and Mariam coy smiles, enjoying each other's company no matter the scenery. They would photograph long awaited greetings in the airports and reluctant goodbyes at hotels; the simplest gesture of chivalry to the grandest expression of romance. It was unequivocal happiness and love created by the spark that intensified by their proximity.

Magazines were filled with articles on the couple, depicting assumptions and flaunting opinions on the romance. The initial shock of the former Bladebreaker sweetheart being with _someone_, and they never knew quite how to word it, like Mariam soon died to the confusion of their relationship lasting longer than a few weeks. Various publications had multiple issues with the pair gracing the cover, even if just in a corner.

What the media never caught was the animosity and the venom that seemed to lurk on Judy's tongue whenever her perfect son was around the object of his affection. She would look at them tight-lipped and unimpressed, a snide remark in her arsenal for every moment. She made it clear to everyone that Mariam was not the one for Max; she was nowhere near his league.

Most of the time Mariam didn't care. She had thick skin from dealing with the imbecile boys she had grown up with and her own past with a parent that disagreed with everything she believed in. Most of the time Judy's attempts at brushing her away only ended with Max being hurt, stressed, annoyed, or all of the above. And sometimes Judy's little digs just made Mariam want to push back with either a sarcastic remark of her own or finding new ways to make Judy's son a darling shade of red and mortified beyond belief.

Most of the time. Today was an off day and Judy's continuous bruising remarks sent Mariam into a steely glare. It had supposed to have been a friendly dinner amongst the couple, Judy, and the All Starz; simple and tension free. With a huff, Mariam stood from the table, eyes full of challenge and directed at the smug, blonde Mother. The table was silent and an air of awkwardness filled between the All Starz and Max.

"I'm not dealing with this today," Mariam marched from the New York apartment's kitchen and soon after a slam of the door was heard, signalling her exit.

Judy rolled her eyes, looking back down to her plate of food. "Good riddance."

As the Mother carried on as if everything was suddenly right with the world, the gazes of the other guests slowly turned to Max. Most of the time Max was the accidental recipient of his Mother's tirades and though he often buried those emotions, times like these caused a different course of action.

Max dropped his utensils down loudly on his plate, the commotion causing Judy to look at him questionably from across the table. His face was twisted with a mixture of emotions, all jumbled on his tongue and fighting for precedence. Max stood from his seat just as brashly as his girlfriend had moments ago, the difference being that he stood hardened in place, fists closed and tightening at his side.

"What's your problem?" Max finally yelled, his voice hitching in the process. Michael, Eddy, and Steve exchanged glances as the boy's emotions flooded out of him; Emily turned her head away from the scene that was about to manifest. "Why do you always have to do that?"

"Max," Judy said with a warning, "I'm just being honest with _her_. Also, watch your tone; you're starting to act just like..."

"I'm not going to watch my tone!" Max barked. His team mates flinched, all avoiding eye contact except for Rick who merely sat in silence as his good friend struggled with his frustration. Judy opened her mouth, annoyance written on her face when her son broke away from the table, shrugging her off. "Forget it. You don't understand at all, at least she _tries_."

His Mother scoffing was the last thing Max heard before he slammed the apartment door behind him in his final act of protest. He immediately went for the stairs, ushering down them as quickly as possible. Mariam was not the most patient person when angered and he knew in her current state that she too would opt for the same path.

"Mariam!" While his hand gripped the railing tightly, knuckles white, his voice's edge had dropped off to a worried tone.

There had been times in the past where he had let his Mom win, for lack of better words, where he hadn't gone after his girlfriend. And though, in his defense, his Mother hadn't been _as_ biting, he still kicked himself. Thankfully, as Judy had gotten worse, Max had grown a spine, mainly because he saw what her words could do to Mariam.

"Mariam!" He called her name again, his voice rising in concern as he made a swift turn on the staircase. Max felt his chest deflate as he came to a sudden halt on the fifth floor. She stood by the wall, stony faced with her arms crossed, as she looked in his direction. "Mariam, I'm sorry..." His words trailed off in an attempt to catch his breath.

"Don't apologize for her," Mariam said stiffly. She turned her head away from him and in the direction the stairs continued to descend. She sighed, "I'm going back to the hotel to cool off, go back upstairs if you want."

Before Mariam could even move an inch, Max had bolted from his spot on the staircase to block his girlfriend's exit. "No," he said firmly, shaking his head as he placed his hands carefully on her waist. "I'm not letting her talk to you like that anymore."

Her expression softened briefly and she let her gaze trail away from his beautiful, sincere eyes. "Really, Max. You can go. I won't be mad." She groaned when his penetrating stare did not relent, "I promise."

"I have eyes, you know." Believe it or not, they were hard to miss. She knew all too well with her history of being on the receiving end of his over-emotional expressions that not only was he trying to help, he was struggling. Max made a strange growling noise with his throat, head titled downward to shadow his frustration. "I can see how she affects you."

Unfolding her arms, Mariam brought a hand to his chin, tilting his head back up so that she could look at him dead in the eyes. "I'm fine."

Max's expression remained full of frustration and, of course, disbelief. She frowned at him and his stubbornness, wanting nothing more but to scurry down the remaining five flights of stairs and out of the horrid apartment building.

"Max!" For once in her life, Mariam was relieved to hear the nasally voice of Michael creep up from behind them. Max, on the other hand, did not look as pleased as his gaze looked over her shoulder. "You should _probably_ come back upstairs, Judy's pitching a fit."

Rolling his eyes, Max tiredly ran one of his hands through his blond hair. "She can cool down then," he finally said, his attention back to Mariam with a light smile. "Maybe next time, she won't start anything..."

Michael scoffed, a slight cackle in his voice. "Whatever you say, man. I'm not the one that's going to be grounded forever." He waved them off, continuing to laugh to himself as he sauntered back up the stairs.

"We both know that's not going to happen, Max." Mariam gave him a levelled look, serious and beautiful as ever. "She's always going to have a problem with me."

"And I'm always going to love you," Max smiled, his left dimple more prominent on his cheek, accentuating his face as usual. He took a hold of her hand with his own, lacing his fingers through hers as adoringly as possible. "If she thinks she can change that, she's wrong."

Mariam bit her lip. "Max..."

"If you think that, not only are you wrong too, but I haven't been doing a good job of proving myself to you." Max brought her hand up to his face, pressing his lips sweetly against the top of her knuckles. She sighed for what felt like the tenth time in this particular hallway, not wanting her boyfriend to go on a sudden guilt trip. "Let me prove it to you?"

His sudden question caught Mariam off guard; she raised a single, delicate eye brow with inquiry. "How?"

"Let me take you out for dinner, this time just me and you. Anywhere you want to go, no annoying team mates and definitely no Moms. I don't even have my cell on me, so she can't call and interrupt like usually does." Max looked at her hopefully, pecking the top of her hand once again. "Come on, please? It's all about you tonight, no one else exists."

"Well, in that case..."

Mariam smirked, walking past the blond and pulling on his arm by their tethered hands. He laughed softly, following behind her as they meandered down the steps rhythmically. The sound of their footfalls made Mariam thoughtful for a moment and she squeezed her boyfriend's hand.

Not looking at him, she cleared her throat. Hesitant and concerned her voice would break and carry her emotions, she stated her feelings as simply as possible. "I'm sorry your Mother doesn't like me."

"Me too," Max agreed, a smile on his lips from the honesty and truth behind her words. These were emotional waters she did not want to tread, at least not right now, so Max merely squeezed her hand back just as sincerely as she had done and decided to keep his words just as true. "She doesn't know what she's missing."


	8. Highway

**Note**: Let's just quickly go over the reasons for my absence: final semester of college, exams, job hunting, fulltime job with frequent overtime, moving, my brother moving, my brother getting married, quitting said job, job hunting again, and a funeral. This all being said, I really, really want to get back into the swing of things.

On this chapter in particular, I actually started to write it immediately after the last update. Then I wrote it again, and again... I think I started this chapter like ten times. The idea never changed, it was just hard to get everything right. Why? Well, it's based on my brother. He was in a long distance relationship for years. I watched him go through this cycle and it broke _my_ heart. Luckily, they're married now and I don't have to watch them go through that anymore. Excited for when they move back to the East Coast, though they'll still be State side.

Many thanks to those that have taken the time to review since the last update: **Kamakaze Kheri**, **James Birdsong**, **Kenrai**, **C-Fan**, **Ravengal101**, **goldspears**, and **MidnightStarr**. Your patience is very appreciated, as well as any constructive criticism!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Highway

"I'll probably only be gone for about a month or two..."

Max glanced at Mariam from the corner of his eye. His focus quickly went back to the road ahead of him, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. The blond still wasn't used to this, though he'd done it what felt like hundreds of heartbreaking times. She had finally granted him the ability to see her off at the airport a year or so ago and while he got to spend every last second with her, it didn't make it any easier.

He could feel her gaze on him, her body twisted in the passenger seat and the side of her head leaning against the head rest. She was studying him, like usual when it came to the countdown to her departure. "Max...," she sighed, stressing his name as she placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. He bit his bottom lip at the way she said his name. "You'll be busy with school; it will go by like it's nothing."

"Are you cold?" Max asked abruptly. He knew his voice quaked, but he flicked on the heat in his car nonetheless as a distraction. His girlfriend merely continued to watch him carefully. She sighed again, stretching her legs from being confined in the car for so long. It only meant they were almost there and she would be gone. And Max would make it back out to his car before he would break down, turning his cell off to just sit in the parking lot for a good twenty minutes before being able to leave.

"I will miss you too, you know?" Mariam murmured quietly. Max met her eyes with a forced smile. He didn't doubt this; she was just so much better at coming and going. Or, at least, she hid it better. That would not surprise him either; Mariam managed to confine a lot of her feelings when she felt it was needed and it did probably help him, seeing her upset would just send him in a worse spiral.

"I know," his voice creaked and it made him cringe.

He could feel her smirk next to him. "Everything about you," she added louder, crossing her legs again. She let her eyes trace his outline in the dark car where the morning light from outside highlighted his features. He always seemed to falter under her gaze and she could tell Max was trying his best to not let her effect him even further.

"Let's not do this... please." Max's voice was soft and reluctant. Mariam nodded in silence; anything to help him. She looked out the window to the sun creeping over the horizon and stifled a yawn. Max kept his gaze trained ahead and went through the typical notions of keeping his mind clear of the fast approaching reality.

It didn't seem to take long at all to arrive at the airport, but Mariam had fallen asleep next to him regardless. Parking, Max ran his hands through his hair before they made way to his face to rub his eyes. He sighed, removing his seatbelt, his gaze stuck to his girlfriend with hesitance.

"Mariam...," Max called softly, touching her arm to jostle her awake. A known deep sleeper, Mariam attempted to turn away from him. "Mariam... Hey, we're at the airport..."

"Already...? Give me five more minutes..."

A tight smile graced Max's face. "I'd give you way more than five minutes..."

Mariam sighed, turning to face him again, her eyes opening sleepily. "You're right," she unbuckled her seatbelt and stretched from the confines of the passenger's seat. "No more delaying."

"We can delay a little...?"

"I don't think that'd be a good idea," Mariam gave him an even look. "Don't act like I don't know how mopey you get. I get love letters like clockwork."

Max chewed on his lip in thought. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Just... I'm not leaving forever."

"I know..."

And like that, they were frozen in that familiar state of goodbye in the parking garage. At least in the car they could pretend leaving wasn't so imminent and they weren't crushed by the people who were just greeting their loved ones. Max supposed he only noticed these people because they were lucky and he would be there, standing alone, until he couldn't see a trace of Mariam anymore.

"Did you hear me?"

Max, startled, turned his head toward Mariam when her hand had touched his arm. She stared at him, somewhat skeptical, but mostly concerned. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you could help me with my bags." She retracted her hand to fold both of them nicely in her lap. "Unless you need another moment?"

"No, no, I'm fine," the blond assured her, nodding along to convince himself. He took a deep breath and opened the car door. Climbing out, he could hear the click of the passenger side door. He fiddled with his keys, making his way for the trunk, watching Mariam as she mirrored his movements for the most part.

Max felt like there was something stuck to the back of his throat, but he did his best to ignore it. This is where life got hard. Just looking at his girlfriend, there was nothing more in the world he wanted but for them to be at the same place and both be able to call it home. Time wouldn't have to count down to when they would need to part and this circle of heartbreak could end.

It wouldn't mean Mariam would never go to China again. Heck, maybe it could mean he could go too and not be treated like an outsider. Maybe he would be taken more seriously and her Father would stop trying to set her up with these random suitors. Maybe his Mom would reconsider their relationship and stop acting like Mariam was just using him.

"Max? Seriously...," Mariam took a hold of the boy's wrist, shaking him again out of his reverie. She narrowed her gaze, studying him with growing concern. "Are you okay?"

"What if we lived together?"

Max hadn't meant to, but the question tumbled out of his mouth in haste anyway. He stared at her, partially embarrassed, but mostly curious for her response. Mariam was never one for heavy discussions pertaining to any type of relationship and Max knew well enough pushing any topic could end in an emotional disarray.

Mariam quickly let go of his wrist, almost as if his mere touch shocked her in some way. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, a look of frustration settling onto her face. She looked away from the boy and toward the airport, her hand reaching to rest on her head as if nursing a sudden migraine. "Max, I'm about to leave...," she finally decided to say. There was a noticeable warning in her voice.

"I know, okay? I just...," Max let his own frustration weigh in his voice. He ran his hands back through his hair and stared her down. She still refused to make eye contact with him. "I just... why not?"

"Max, this is not the time."

"Well, then would be better Mariam?"

"I don't know, Max," she shot back sarcastically, not fond of the sudden annoyance in his voice. "How about when I don't have to board a plane the same day?"

"You wouldn't make up any excuses?" Max asked, noting she was still looking at anything but him. He sighed, biting his lower lip in thought. "Listen... I just... I want to be together..."

"We _are_ together."

"When you're here, it's like a countdown. You have to work to stay at the hotels. My Mom discovers new things to keep me away." Max stepped closer to Mariam, her focus still in the distance and on other people making their ways to and from the garage. Reluctantly, he took a hold of her hand and held it tightly in his own. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she sighed. Mariam was caving, but Max could still see she was not pleased with the conversation. "What does that leave us with? A few hours a day? I don't know about you, but I count down like every minute. All I want is to spend as much time with you as possible."

"Max..."

"I want to make sure you'll come back."

It was only then that Mariam looked at him again fully. She stared skeptically at the boy, but he bashfully avoided her eye contact this time. "Alright. I'm going to cut you a deal."

Max looked back up curiously. "Okay?"

"When I come back, and I will – I don't know where you got that idea. If I was going to run away, I wouldn't drag you through _this_." Mariam squeezed his hand back, still a little exasperated from the whole scene. She bit her lip before giving in, "When I come back, we'll talk about it, okay? I promise."

"Really?" Max had to stop his mouth from hanging open like a fool. He pulled on her hand gently to envelop her in a tight hug. "I... thank you. This... this is just really hard."

"I know," Mariam wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her annoyance melting into his embrace. "Do you have to be so dramatic though?"

He smiled at her retort. "Sorry."

"Well, we should really get going..."

Max nodded, knowing that time was still ticking down. He knew he hadn't made it any easier for her to go, at least not this time. And his heart still broke when they said goodbye before she went through security, and again when she disappeared from his sight for the last time for the next month or so. But he hoped maybe the next time they talked about themselves – their future – that maybe it would get easier.

Maybe soon there wouldn't be any goodbyes.


	9. Indifferent

**Note**: I don't really know what to say, other than I am sorry for the lack of updates. I'm not going to list out any excuses this time. I will tell you that this year hasn't been the greatest, for personal reasons, and I've been actively trying to make changes to my life. Included in this is trying to get back into the habit of writing on a regular/weekly basis. You may be thinking, yeah, we've heard this before. You're right, and all I can do is improve my update schedule.

In relation to this chapter, uh, there's no Mariam. However, there is an OC. I am only bringing this up because I did not make it up alone, AzikaRue394, like usual, was my partner in crime. He's mentioned in two parts of _MaxMariam Drabbles_, namely the chapters Lovely Luck and Confessions Part 3: A Fitting End, though nameless.

Thank you to **Player Zero**, **Kenrai**, **MidnightStarr**, **Dead-bY-N0w**, and **AzikaRue394** for reviewing! Your continued support really means a lot to me. Also, your patience knows no bounds.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Indifferent

"Maddox! Can you say hi to Uncle Rick?"

Standing groggily at his door, "Uncle" Rick, as he was apparently called, squinted through the sun's bright rays at the pair in front of him. He eyed his friend Max, who was way too cheery so early in the afternoon, with a look of annoyance. Annoyance soon vanished to confusion when he realized he hadn't seen the blond in some time, maybe almost a year, and here he was on his doorstep unannounced; unannounced and with a new... friend.

"Come on, Maddox. You remember Uncle Rick?"

That name again, Uncle Rick. And Uncle Rick's attention turned to the small bundle Max was holding and shifting in his arms. Big blue eyes stared back at him, making Rick quite uncomfortable. In silence, the small boy watched him curiously, clutching some teddy bear to himself, with a couple of his fingers in his mouth and covered in drool. He had gotten bigger since the last time Rick saw him; after gaping at the toddler for a bit, the boy smiled and snuggled his face into his father's chest.

"Hi...," Rick finally said waving awkwardly. The boy giggled, peeking at Rick slightly, making the All Star feel even sillier.

"Think we could come in?" Max asked, gesturing with a nod. "Maddox and I wanted to visit."

"Sure," Rick said, moving out of the way. "This place isn't exactly kid proof though."

"No problem, I'll keep a good eye on him." Max smiled making his way inside. He tickled Maddox's side and the boy started to laugh gleefully.

To say Rick's home wasn't child friendly was an understatement. Everywhere he looked he saw things he wanted to hide right away, or things the kid could break his head open on. They settled for hanging out in the living room.

"Wow," Max awed, looking around as he flopped down on the couch. He perched Maddox on his knee, who was also looking round his new surroundings with wide eyes. Rick preferred this to the uneasy staring, though he hoped Max would keep Maddox in his arms so that the toddler did not wreak havoc. "Mariah help you out with the decorating?"

"No. We're not dating."

Max quirked an eyebrow at his old team mate. "That's not what I asked." Rick scowled. "Hey, I guess you could always be an interior decorator then, sorry."

Rick glanced over the room. He had records hung on the wall, guitars on stands, as well as any other expensive music memorabilia he could get his hands on. Perfect for drooling kids.

"Where's your better half?" Rick asked. Realizing there was an open beer can on the coffee table in front of Max, Rick grabbed it quickly and set it beside him out of reach. The sudden movement caught Maddox's attention, who had been staring at his own reflection in the big screen television. Rick eyed him back, meeting wide eyes peering out from messy dark blue locks.

"Relaxing. We decided to give Mommy a bit of a break, right?" Bouncing Maddox on his knee, the boy squealed in Max's arms. He fell back into Max's chest, sitting in an odd fashion, as he watched the room and Rick with an inquisitive smile.

"He... looks a lot like both of you," Rick observed. Max grinned at his friend before looking down at a giddy Maddox. "Must've broken your Mom's heart."

"Tell me about it," Max rolled his eyes, a smile still formed on his lips. The boy began to wiggle in his father's lap, Max helping him up as he stood against Max's chest.

"Da'... 'ook..." Maddox mumbled from around his fingers, he pointed with his other hand, leaving his poor teddy bear in a headlock.

Max cranked his head to look up to the side of him. He picked Maddox up to give him a better look at what he pointed at, "That's called a record. Can you say record?"

Maddox smiled pointing again at the record. Rick rolled his eyes. "I can see why you're giving Mariam a break. Do you always talk like that to him?" While Max wasn't speaking babyish, he did have that parental high tone whenever talking to Maddox.

"Mariam talks to him too. What are we supposed to do, not talk to our kid?"

"If you're saying she talks like that too, I'd pay to see it," Rick smirked.

"Uncle Rick is silly," Max sighed, snuggling his son in his arms. The little boy was too entranced by his surroundings to reply, head tipped as far back as possible to look skyward.

Rick sat forward in his chair, arms rested on his knees as he twiddled his thumbs. His eyes went from Max, to Maddox, then to the floor before going back to Max.

"Uh... we didn't interrupt anything, did we?" Max asked concerned, setting his son beside him on the couch. Immediately, the boy used the pillows and cushions on the couch to support himself in his attempts to stand and look at the records. Max had his arm out behind Maddox for support, his attention looking between the two.

"No, it's just... weird," Rick decided. The boy discarded the teddy bear to grip the couch, and the All Star knew he would have to wash out all the drool later. "You being a Dad. How is it?"

"Great," Max beamed. He watched Maddox with such pride, as if drooling all over Rick's couch was some fantastic feat. Rick was just happy that his records were out of reach. "I can't imagine a day without him now." Max tickled the toddler's side again, causing Maddox to fall into his arms with laughter.

"Having any more?"

Max froze, letting Maddox's laughter stop slowly as he cuddled his father. Max blushed, hugging his son and bringing him back to his lap. "Uh... I... Not planned."

Rick smirked, "So a surprise, like this one."

Max scratched his head, messing up his blond locks. "I guess. We haven't really talked about it. Maddox is a bit of a handful." Grabbing the teddy bear off the couch, Max handed it back to Maddox. "You ever think about having kids?"

Rick stared at Max with a frown and then at Maddox. "I already deal with Michael and Eddy, so, no thanks."

"Well, you'll always be Uncle Rick."

"Doesn't he already have a _real_ Uncle?"

"You're an honorary Uncle. Besides, I'm an only child and... you've always been like an older brother to me."

"Stop right there, I'm not cleaning off kid drool and a grown man's tears off my couch," Rick warned; Max smiled back at his old team mate. "Whatever. I guess you need someone on your side of the family to counteract the insane grandmother."

Laughing, Max nodded. "Thanks."

"'ook," Maddox was pointing again, looking up at his father. Following, roughly, where he was blabbing about, Rick saw one of his prized possessions: an acoustic guitar. Though it didn't seem like the man's tastes, Rick did love music about as much as beyblading. He knew a nice guitar when he saw one, so Rick just about had a heart attack when Max picked himself and Maddox off the couch to get a better look.

The guitar was on a stand not far from Rick. Max sat himself cross-legged on the floor, son in his lap, right in front of the instrument and practically in front of Rick at an angle. Being so close to the child made the All Star sit back; not that he'd admit this to anyone, but kids made him nervous.

"This is a guitar, Maddox." Max smiled ruffling his son's hair as he pointed at the instrument, just out of reach. "Listen," reaching out, Max strummed randomly having no personal experience with music. "Can you say guitar?"

Rick frowned further, never one for people touching his belongings, especially his expensive belongings. Maddox had mumbled some nonsense out in reply to Max, and the blond ran his fingers across the strings again. Practically grinning at this point, Maddox shuffled further out of his father's lap and closer to the instrument.

In response, Rick jerked forward out of instinct. The kid was not going to touch one of his babies; he glared at the boy in an attempt to scare him. But instead Maddox held his teddy bear out as an offering, a smile gracing his features.

"Uh... he wants you to take it."

Rick snapped, "We're not trading!"

"Oh, come on!" Max laughed, he gently took the teddy bear from his son's hands and forced it into Rick's arms. "Uncle Rick says thank you. That was so nice of you, Maddox!"

Rick put the bear beside him before he proceeded to wipe the kiddy drool onto his pants in disgust. Maddox had turned his attention back to the guitar, and with a Cheshire cat smile, his little fingers met the strings. Only a little noise came out, but the toddler's head bopped regardless as he laughed along.

For a moment Rick thought about decapitating his new teddy bear hostage, but Max spoke up. "He really loves music. Doesn't matter what it is, he just starts dancing and stuff. Sings sometimes too." The blond watched his son, mimicking his head bops as he continued to play. "Kind of reminds me of you."

"Hey!" Rick protested. "I don't sing and dance."

"I'm just saying," Max waved him off. "If Maddox still loves music this much when he's older, he'll love visiting you. This place is like a museum." The blond leaned back to get a good look around the room again, still in awe by the very non-Rick decorating.

"Yeah, well, I'll give him the bill for all the drool damage then too..."

"You can call him Maddox, you know? That is his name."

"What are you talking about?"

"You haven't called him by his name this whole time," Max pointed out. Then after pondering for a few moments, he smirked at his friend. "Actually, you haven't talked to him at all, other than that pathetic hello. You wouldn't be... scared of him, would you?"

The grin that was taking over the blond's features made Rick scowl openly. He crossed his arms in defense. "Please, he's a kid."

"Hmm," Max smiled slyly, getting up from the floor, he scooped Maddox into his arms. The boy pouted briefly before giggling when his father playfully set him in Rick's lap. "Sorry buddy, time to see Uncle Rick!"

Rick tensed instantaneously. He stared, wide eyed, down to his honorary nephew. He was so small, with inquisitive bright eyes and pudgy cheeks. Maddox smiled grabbing at Rick's fingers, his arms still crossed across his chest. Slowly, the All Star let his guard down, his arms uncrossing, but a few of his fingers still remained in the boy's soft grasp. Laughing, Maddox fell against his side in an unwanted cuddle.

"Admit it, you think he's cute."

Rick silently continued to look down. He had absolutely no idea how to respond or how to move without breaking the kid. And just looking at him, he suddenly found that he couldn't hate the kid for drooling on anything and everything, including his very own shirt. With frustration, Rick blew a raspberry with his lips, causing the loudest shriek of laughter he had heard all afternoon.

Then with a smile, looking down at Maddox, Rick said, "Those aren't my words exactly."


	10. Judy

**Note**: Two months in a row, let it be known. Reminder that Maybe is a set of oneshots, more or less, and there is no set timeline and the chapters are not necessarily even related. That being said, this chapter is actually four oneshots. Only sections 2 and 3 are related to each other. Enjoy!

Many thanks to **Player Zero**, **Kenrai**, and **AzikaRue394** for offering me their thoughts on the last chapter! As always, it is very much appreciated!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Judy

"Thanks, Maxie. I really appreciate the help."

Hunched over on the floor, Max offered his father a big smile. It felt like forever since the last time he was in Japan and he was always eager to assist his dad with the Hobby Shop. It didn't matter if he was at the counter or stocking shelves, but today Max found himself moving around some heavy merchandise.

"Your old man must be getting up there," Max's dad, Taro, laughed sheepishly. He rubbed his beard thoughtfully, "Really don't know how I hurt my shoulder... Doctor said I should give it some rest for a good few weeks."

"Well, good thing I'm here to help you out then!" Max carefully picked up a heavy box to put up on a shelf above him.

"Really hate to waste your vacation like this..."

"Don't worry about it, dad. I love hanging out here anyway; I'm happy to help out."

Taro smiled at his son, proud that he was such a kind and helpful kid. He always had been that way and Taro knew he really lucked out with his son. Growing up, Max looked like a splitting image of his mother – which was fine, he married her after all – but he couldn't help but feel some budding pride as he grew into a young man that Max was looking more like him every day.

"Where do these boxes go?"

"Hmm? Oh, you can just shove those over in the corner for now. Won't need them until the sale next week." Taro waved off into an isolated corner behind the counter; Max nodded before beginning his move of the merchandise. "How is your mom doing?"

Box in hand, Max faltered a bit at the question. He quickly tried to recover his odd behaviour with a nervous smile and shrug. "Oh, you know mom, always up to something or other." The blond laughed forcefully, hoping his father wouldn't notice.

Taro, of course, noticed. Playing with his beard again, he watched his son quickly pile the cardboard boxes in the corner with a look of intensity. Oh, that was right, his wife had mentioned their son had been acting strangely and she was concerned about his behaviour. She had asked him to have a man-to-man talk of sorts with him, something about possibly getting into a bad group.

"Oh, Max?"

The boy jumped at his name, nearly dropping a box in the process. "Heh, sorry," he grimaced, "What's up? Do I need to move this somewhere else...?"

"No, no. Nothing like that." Taro reflected for a moment, trying to think of how to approach him in a way less forward as Judy was sure to have done. "How do I put this...? Hmm, your Mom said she was a bit... worried about you."

Max looked down at the tiled floor, his expression hooded. "She's just being mom. Nothing's wrong."

"Okay," Taro agreed with a few nods of his head. "Something good going on then?"

Max crossed his arms and his eyes slowly rose from the floor to meet his dad's. "Well... yeah, but I don't think... Never mind. It's nothing."

"What? You can tell me."

Max bit his bottom lip. "I'm not really worried about you."

"Oh? Oh. Your mom?" Taro asked. Max nodded, looking away again, a pensive expression etched on his face. "Well, she asked me to talk to you man-to-man. So... this discussion will just be between us men."

"You can do that...?" Max wondered skeptically.

"Of course," Taro declared, hand stroking his beard once again. Well, he was pretty sure, but he could always deal with that later. Right now his son was right in front of him and seemed to be having some sort of inner conflict. "Come on, maybe I can help you out with whatever is going through that head of yours."

After a few moments of silence, Max nodded in agreement. He kicked the remainder of the boxes into the corner before hopping onto the counter. Swinging his feet, he let out a deep breath and sat forward so his arms rested on his legs. "I've been seeing this girl..."

Taro immediately grinned, just something about his son confiding in him about girls made him want to wrap him up in a giant bear hug. "That's great news!"

Max smiled weakly, "There's a but..."

"Oh, right. Well, let's see what we can do?"

Running a hand through his blond hair, Max's expression furrowed further as he looked down at his legs as they swung back and forth in rhythm. "Mom, kinda, already forbid me from seeing her a few months ago..."

Taro could tell Max was avoiding eye contact at this point, probably awaiting a scolding from his father for not following his mother's wishes. Taro, however, had never heard about this before; Judy had never once mentioned any girls, let alone any forbidden ones. His interest was definitely piqued.

Max glanced up at his father at the odd silence. He seemed confused. "You didn't know?"

"Well, she was concerned you were falling into a bad group," Taro reasoned, searching his memory bank for any other conversations on the topic.

Rolling his eyes, Max sighed. "Yeah, she probably meant Mariam. She must've caught on..."

"Mariam?" Taro frowned, "I don't think I've heard that name...? Hmm."

"Guess you're going to tell me the same thing?"

"Well that depends..." Taro decided with a smile on his lips, "What did your mom say exactly?" Max seemed a bit defeated by this, so Taro added, "And what do you think?"

"What do I think?"

"Sure. I can't think of any other time you haven't listened to your mom... so I'm sure there's a good reason somewhere."

"You probably just don't remember as well as mom apparently does. She was... on an opposing team," Max explained. He let his legs come to a standstill and he folded his hands carefully on his lap. "The past is the past. Mariam took forever to put it behind her herself, but mom is just so... fixated."

"Sounds like your mom," Taro agreed. He grabbed the step stool that was down the aisle not far away and took a seat. "You know how she gets; she just wants to protect you."

Max shook his head. "Dad, she's been going way overboard. If she even _thinks_ Mariam is in town I am suddenly her lab slave. And if I'm not her lab slave she's trying to set me up with Emily or some other girl in the BBA building."

Taro frowned; that was a bit odd, even for his overprotective wife. "What... exactly did this girl do again?"

"It's really not important. It's been almost four years. We've both changed."

"Alright," Taro raised his hands defensively, hearing the intensity in his son's voice. There was a flash of annoyance in Max's eyes until he turned his head away from his father again. "Is this the only problem your mom has with her? I'm sure she'll move past that with time. She'll turn around when she sees things have changed."

Max sighed, unfolding his hands so he could properly shuffle on the counter. "There is _something_ else..."

Taro studied his son as he seemed suddenly embarrassed. All traces of anger and annoyance had vanished, his demeanour sheepish as he focused on the cash register beside him. "What is it?"

Max cleared his throat. "Uh... she's older than me."

"Older?" His father raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yes."

"How much older? Like a year?"

"Around three..."

"Three!?" Taro repeated in awe, he leaned back on the step stool. After a few seconds of gathering his thoughts, he played with his beard in amusement. He felt himself filling with that nonsensical pride for his son where he wanted to give him a giant hug again. "Wow. That's... wow."

Max continued to shuffle uncomfortably. "It's really not a big deal." The blond had not noticed his father's apparent elation at the news, too busy with his own embarrassment. "It's more like two and a half years, really."

"There's nothing wrong at all. That's great," Taro smiled at his son. When Max met his gaze incredulously, the man laughed. "I mean, it's great that you care about someone so much."

"Really?"

"Yes. Your mom will get over it."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Taro stood up from the step stool and walked toward his son. He clasped a hand tightly on his son's shoulder with a playful squeeze. It took a lot to resist the urge to hug Max, but he beamed proudly down on his son. "Remember, I'm older than your mom. It's like the exact same thing. I'll even talk to your mom about the whole thing."

Max slowly smiled. "Really? Thanks dad, you're the best." Taro just laughed, slapping his son on the back a few times before they went back to work in the Hobby Shop.

It wasn't until that night when he called Judy that he was told in detail just how wrong he was about it being the exact same thing. This wasn't going to be easy, and from the ringing in his ears, it wasn't going to be quiet either.

**XxxxX**

"I really don't think I need to see a doctor..."

Joseph rolled his eyes, glancing over his shoulder as he shut the door carefully behind him. He studied Max, who he practically dragged to the doctor's office, as he held his face in clear pain. The green haired boy gestured toward the examination table, somewhat exasperated with the whole situation. "Just sit down; it isn't going to hurt to get checked out."

The two boys stared at each other, almost in a silent competition. Eventually Max sighed in defeat and sat himself up on the table. "No one's going to want to help me out here..."

Here was referring to Joseph's hometown, and while that was normally true for a good chunk of the citizens, the boy shook his head in refusal. "Nah, don't worry. This doctor is different."

Max frowned. He continued to rub his face and he could taste the blood in his mouth. "Mariam's going to kill me..."

Joseph smirked, scratching his head thoughtfully before he leaned casually against the wall. "Probably." His sister was, after all, pretty good at getting mad, especially when it came to Max visiting. Joseph really wasn't sure what happened. He had been talking to Dunga when he noticed Max with a group of the town's warriors; then out of nowhere, _bang_, the blond had been KO'd. A big scuffle probably would've ensued if he and Dunga hadn't interrupted. "What happened anyway?"

"Nothing," Max muttered darkly.

With a snort, Joseph shrugged. "Okay then... Rest in peace."

Max looked at the younger boy with a sour look on his face when the door opened. In walked an older woman with long green hair wearing a lab coat and a frazzled look on her face. She studied Max briefly, causing the blond to shrink in his seat, and then she turned her attention to Joseph. Joseph waved slightly, lifting himself slowly from the comfort of the wall.

The next few minutes were spent between Joseph and this woman talking in their native language. Joseph would gesture towards Max and shrug; he'd also smirk and mention Mariam every now and then. Max figured this woman was the doctor; she looked between the two boys, interrupted Joseph once and a while, but most of all she nodded thoughtfully. It made the blond a bit nervous, to say the least.

"Well, I'll be back in a few then," Joseph finally said. Max jerked his head in his direction.

"What!?"

"Hey, I'll be back." Joseph waved him off. He opened the door and shrugged again. "Need to clean up that mess uptown, y'know, the one you caused? Make sure there's no more bloodshed."

"I didn't start it..."

Joseph sighed, halfway out the door. "Just get checked out. I'll make sure everything's calmed down outside." With that, the green haired boy shut the door and left the blond with the doctor.

"That's quite the look you have going on there." Max turned his attention to the doctor, surprised to hear her address him. She handed him an icepack. "We want to get that swelling down first. I'm sure you're fine, but we'll clean up that bloody lip of yours just in case."

"Oh. Uh... thanks."

She nodded. "What happened exactly? Joseph wasn't very clear on the situation."

Max sulked a bit, placing the icepack on his mouth mostly. The town was always pretty divided when it came to him and he knew this situation would make things worse. It didn't matter that he hadn't started anything or what his story was; it would eventually twist into his fault somehow.

"It's not important... Sorry."

"I beg a differ," the woman simply disagreed. She crossed her arms and began to study him again carefully. "If I don't hear your side then I'll be forced to believe that you took a swing first."

"I didn't...!" Max cut off his outburst, clenching his free hand into a tight fist at his side. "What's it matter... no one in this town gets it...," he muttered with frustration, eyes cast to the floor with a scowl.

"And what don't we get?" the doctor demanded, a bit cross. The village was never really accepting of outsiders, and while she had no personal qualms, any unfound judgement on her home did warrant anger.

"The only reason I'm here is because I want to support my girlfriend. I'm not trying to shove Draciel in people's faces or change any of your customs," Max stated, shaking his head. He lowered the icepack and sighed. "I just love Mariam, that's it!"

Max watched as the doctor's expression slowly changed. Any sign of annoyance twisted into surprise and then finally settled into what looked like understanding. This confused Max, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought, but before he could voice anything some noise was heard from the waiting room that caught both their undivided attention.

It wasn't very long before the noise became louder and identified itself as two arguing voices. As soon as Max realized the voices belonged to Mariam and Joseph the door opened to the two siblings. Mariam took one look at Max and sighed with exasperation; Joseph followed his sister into the room with a frown.

"Couldn't clean up the mess," Joseph stated with his attention on the doctor again. He gestured to Mariam, "She was already threatening people when I got back..."

"What happened?" Mariam demanded.

Max visibly flinched "Nothing, just... don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" Mariam repeated, very clearly livid. "I'm not going to just forget about someone hitting you. And put that icepack on your face!"

Max quickly obeyed, the cold ice against his lips as he refused to meet his girlfriend's eyes. "Look, I didn't start it. Not really. They just... said _something_ about you, so I told them to watch it."

Mariam eyed him, shuffling under the scrutiny from the other people in the room. "What did they say?"

Max shook his head. "I'm not repeating..."

Mariam was silent at first; of course her boyfriend was only trying to defend her honour from a bunch of muscle heads. The blue haired girl then appeared to be even more annoyed by the second and turned on her heels to exit the room. Unfortunately for her, Joseph had sidestepped and blocked the exit. While a few years ago Mariam would've easily just tossed him aside, Joseph had grown to a respectable size, and while he was still slender, he could stand his ground.

"Hey now!" Joseph gripped the door frame, his sister glaring at him mere inches from his face. "Just calm down, sis."

"Yeah, Mariam. I'm fine." Max tried to smile, but it came across as more of a grimace. Mariam looked at him from over her shoulder with a pang of guilt; she eventually sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't apologize," Mariam approached him and reluctantly put her hand on his arm, not one for even the simplest public displays of affection. She then looked at the doctor, "Is he really alright, mom?"

At that moment, Max felt time freeze in place. He slowly turned his head to the doctor, eyes wide as he met her sharp, knowing gaze. Mariam didn't notice the reaction while Joseph watched in curiosity, wondering what could've possibly happened.

"He'll be fine," Mariam's mom assured her, a smile on her lips. "If you want to help, inform your father of the disturbance in his younger ranks."

Mariam scoffed, "Please, dad hates Max. He'll probably give them a medal."

"Don't underestimate your father's love of rules. Joseph, go with your sister."

Joseph rolled his eyes from his place in the doorway, eyeing his sister. He could tell by just looking at her that she had something else up her sleeve, and it probably involved breaking a few noses before going to see their father. But there was really no arguing with either woman in his life, so he once again shrugged freely. "C'mon, sis."

Mariam smirked, proving Joseph's thoughts further. She did, however, hesitate a moment. "Will you be okay?" she asked Max.

Breaking out of his reverie, he nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about me." Max made sure to squeeze her hand before both siblings left the room.

Again, Max was left alone in the room with the doctor. It suddenly made sense to him why this doctor was different and would agree to see him; the blond felt pretty stupid for not even noticing she looked a great deal like both Joseph and Mariam.

"We're going to clean out that nice gash on your lip, can't promise it won't hurt though." Max watched as she prepared her medicine.

"I'm really sorry...," Max cleared his throat, "Um... about earlier?"

She looked up from her preparations, her green eyes meeting his blue ones and a smirk crossed her features. "You can call me Ilea. It's very nice to finally meet you."

Max attempted to smile again, feeling the waves of embarrassment taking over his own features. "Yeah, nice to meet you too. Sorry, uh, for the circumstances."

Ilea simply shrugged. "I finally found out what really happened, so don't worry." Max nodded, visibly relieved. He still would've preferred anything else for an introduction, but at least she didn't seem to hate his guts. "Besides, I heard you were in love with my daughter."

Max's breath hitched in his throat; of course, he had also had that passionate outburst. He suddenly wanted to hide as a fierce blush took over his face. "I... oh man..."

"Does she know?"

Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he shook his head shyly. Ilea took in this boy before her, very much different from any in her village. She smiled, she couldn't quite place it, but there was something about him that she liked.

"You should tell her."

**XxxxX**

"We're not having this conversation."

Joseph stifled a yawn, stretching his arms high into the air. He was seated on top of a crate within one of the village town hall's many supply rooms, watching as a debate brew between his father and sister. Arguments were becoming more frequent between the pair and Joseph had tagged along with his sister this morning in case anything got out of hand.

Mariam was glaring at the back of her father's head as he was seemingly too busy sorting through some damaged equipment. "Typical," she shot back snidely, "You're not going to do anything, some leader you are."

With a heavy sigh, her father turned around, dilapidated shield in hand. "There is really nothing to deal with, Mariam. Best to move on."

"Nothing? One of your brain-dead warriors punched Max in the face. Probably would've done more if Dunga hadn't stepped in."

Joseph nodded in agreement. "She's got a point."

"And if I remember correctly, you already took matters into your own hands," their father stated, gaze sternly moving from Joseph to his daughter. "In the realm of punishment, you're the one I should be dealing with, if you need a reminder."

Mariam openly scowled. It was true, a week ago, after finding out Max had been hurt she did bust up a few faces of her own. She had the bruises on her knuckles to prove it. "Dad, I wouldn't have had to done that if I knew you'd actually do your job."

Anger swept over her father's face, he tossed the shield he had been holding back into its pile. "You have no right to question my decisions," he pointed his finger in her direction, "Besides, your boyfriend shouldn't be causing trouble he cannot clean up himself."

"He didn't do anything wrong."

"A real man doesn't need his girlfriend to beat up his adversaries."

"A real man?" Mariam rolled her eyes, hands on her hips. Joseph could feel the tension in the room getting thicker. "Max didn't ask me to go beat them up; I did that on my own."

Her father laughed, shaking his head. "Listen to yourself, Mariam. You should be with someone who can protect you." He held the bridge of his nose trying to gather his thoughts, "Instead of some... boy."

"I don't need someone to protect me. I can take care of myself just fine."

"Well, that's good, because with _him_, you're going to need to do a lot of that."

"Oh, you're right dad. I should be with one of your warriors; I hear they speak so highly of me."

Her father chewed on the inside of his cheek. His subordinates claimed that this was hearsay, but the doubts he had left him uneasy. "As of right now, that's a rumour..."

"Because Max is the type to walk into a group of ten muscle heads and start swinging..."

"I can't punish people over rumours."

"Then punish people over their actions?"

"This discussion is over, Mariam." The man ran a hand through his blue hair, stressed by his daughter's raised tone. "I'm not ruling any punishments without concrete proof. Your boyfriend will just have to think twice about his actions when he is here."

"This is ridiculous."

"This is life," he shrugged. He turned back toward his work, yet his own tone stayed strict. "You, however, will have to deal with the consequences of your actions."

Mariam scowled, "Are you kidding me? You'll punish me, but not your brainless minions?"

"When I know the facts? Yes. You wouldn't be in this mess if _he_ could even protect himself."

With a roll of her green eyes, Mariam crossed her arms and turned her back to her father. "Well, at least I know you'd rather me be in a relationship with a chauvinistic pig than with someone who actually cares about me. Thanks, dad. Top notch parenting as usual..."

"That is not what I meant..."

"No, dad. It's pretty clear. Like you said, this conversation is over," Mariam cut off her father. She stormed out of the room, a slew of curses on her tongue as she slammed the door behind her.

Joseph whistled, his hands behind his head as he leaned his back against the cool wall. "I think that went well."

His father glared at him briefly, their eyes locked in the sudden silence. Slowly, the man turned his attention back to sorting the equipment. "What do you want, Joseph?"

"Oh, you know, just enjoying the show." The green haired boy laughed at his own joke while his father seemingly ignored him. He lifted his legs onto the crate to sit more comfortably. "Y'know, Mariam only did what she thought was right."

The man glanced at his son, giving him an even look. "She hurt four of my men; almost broke one of their noses."

"To be honest, you'd think the other three would know to run after the first guy went down," Joseph reasoned. He smiled cheekily at his dad again, who appeared to still not want to indulge his son. "You really more concerned that a few of your guys bled a little over, I don't know, a good group of them badmouthing your own daughter?"

Giving Joseph his full attention, his dad crossed his arms with annoyance. "That is not a proven fact."

"Like they'd admit it to you," Joseph pointed out in defense. "Something was said, I may have done some sleuthing."

His dad raised an eyebrow. "Why are you just mentioning this now?"

Joseph sighed. "I clarified everything with Max before he flew home. He asked me not to tell, didn't want to cause any more trouble; something about it being his word against theirs."

"What did they say?"

"I don't know the gritty details, but I overheard the stand-up idiots bragging about the whole thing. Max wouldn't tell me what they said either."

"Then it couldn't have been that bad," his father reasoned. "And if that's the case, he shouldn't have poked his nose into anything."

Joseph shook his head. "Dad, get your head out of the sand. They wanted to egg him on and Max, being a decent guy, told them to watch their mouths."

Joseph watched as his father frowned and struggled with this new information. He had never been a fan of Max, and from what Joseph figured, it was primarily because he had Draciel and was an outsider. Any interactions the man had in the past with Max were filled with the blond just trying to appease him and fit in.

"He didn't want to cause any trouble, never does. He's just here to see and support Mariam." Joseph watched his father still stuck in his thoughts. "Dude got punched in the face and just took it. Imagine if he hit back? He could literally do nothing right with how some people treat him here."

His father finally broke his silence with a sigh. "I suppose you're right." He did not seem happy with the revelation, but Joseph took the win anyway.

The green haired boy jumped off the crate. He put a hand on his father's shoulder in support. "Y'know, she's been leaving for longer and longer... don't be the reason she leaves early."

His father pulled a tight smile for his son as he nodded his head softly in agreement. Joseph patted him on the shoulder a few times, bidding his father a farewell and explaining he was off to find his sister.

Looking at the unruly supply room and the amount of work that needed to be done, Mariam's father suddenly knew a group of subordinates that would be taking on the task. And that was just going to be the beginning of their boot camp; soon they'll have wished Mariam had broken their legs.

**XxxxX**

Max was never late. It was simple and almost expected; Mariam realized early on that if they set up a date she would never be the first one there. It didn't matter the place or the time, within moments of arriving at her destination she would meet his smiling face.

It was such a habit of Max's that she caught him asleep in the hallway of her hotel at least twice. He had slipped out of his home early enough to not be detected by his mother, but felt it was too early to wake Mariam up. She suggested that he should just knock on the door so he could sleep inside, but his face turned bright red and he refused to look at her for almost a week.

That was why today was such a monumental day, Max was late. Not even a got stuck behind every red light in the city late, but leave your girlfriend sitting by herself in a restaurant for over an hour late.

Mariam was, to put it lightly, mad. She didn't receive any calls or texts for the absence and it left a bad taste in her mouth. While she hated going anywhere near Max's home in New York, she risked any run-ins with Judy to figure out what exactly was going on.

Max lived across the city in a big upscale New York apartment with his mother, and to add more ire to her day, the weather was bleak and a steady rain left her wet and annoyed. Every other pedestrian she crossed on the way seemed to sidestep out of her way as much as possible, leaving her amused at how she must look.

Finally arriving at the apartment building, Mariam let herself through the main entrance and dried off the best she could. Climbing the stairs, because of course the elevator was out, she greeted a few of the inhabitants she recognized. Mariam reached Max's floor and once she neared his apartment she was able to hear a number of voices coming from inside.

Knocking, Mariam heard people's voices pause in response for a brief moment. This was followed by movement from inside and the sound of locks being released before the door opened showing Max.

Max, who was oddly enough dressed up in a black dress shirt and brushed hair, stared at his girlfriend for a few seconds. At first he seemed surprised, then happy, but finally he settled on panic.

"Oh, hi." Max stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Hi?" Mariam repeated, her anger rising. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him a few feet away from the door. "Really? You should be begging for my forgiveness!"

Max ran his hands over his face with a sigh. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"Oh no, that's not going to do." Mariam glared at the blond. She placed her hands on her hips with a huff, stepping closer to look him hard in the eyes. "I waited for you for over an hour!"

"Mariam, I know! I'm really, really sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Max placed his hands gently on Mariam's shoulders, knowing he had to be careful with physical contact when she was this angry. "My mom..."

"Of course." Mariam cut him off. She shouldn't have been surprised; his mother had a knack for coming up with new and improved ways to keep them apart. She should've realized that Max would've otherwise been at the restaurant for their date.

"My mom planned this get-together months ago and I just forgot about it. She wouldn't let me leave. It's really my fault, I'm sorry Mariam."

Mariam quirked an eyebrow at her boyfriend. It wasn't like him to just forget plans like that; he was such a busy person, he had become talented at just knowing where he needed to be and when.

"You forgot?"

"Yeah, and my mom flipped." He rolled his blue eyes and drew Mariam in closer with his arms. He kissed her cheek softly. "Forgive me?"

Mariam rolled her eyes at the slight pout he gave her. She pushed him lightly making him smile again. "I guess you're forgiven." She had a feeling she was about to be mad at someone else soon anyway.

"Good."

"Max, what are you doing...? Oh." Judy had stuck her head out the doorway to figure out what her son was up to; the last thing she needed was him running away. Her gaze narrowed on Mariam, a frown on her lips. "Max, we have guests."

Mariam merely frowned back at the woman. Max sighed. "I know. If you would've let me call her..."

"It is not my fault you forgot the plans we've had for months." Though talking to Max, her eyes were still stuck to Mariam's in contempt. "And unfortunately we don't have any room for guests."

Mariam snorted. "Sure."

Max sighed, shaking his head. "Let me call you a cab at least," the blond boy offered. Seeing as his mother was about to protest, he added in haste, "We'll stay out of your friends' way, relax."

Judy was clearly displeased with his insistency, the annoyance written on her face becoming more and more apparent by the second. Max, however, had grown somewhat used to his mother's antics and had merely grabbed hold of his girlfriend's hand, tugging her in the direction of the apartment. Walking past Judy, Mariam couldn't help but smirk.

"Just wait in the kitchen; I'll go grab the phone." Mariam nodded in agreement, watching her boyfriend disappear behind the corner. She leaned against the counter, listening to the constant hum of conversation going on in the other room. Judy gave her one final glare as she followed her son into the living room.

It only took a few moments for Max to show back up in the kitchen, phone in hand. "So what's going on anyway?" Mariam asked in a hushed voice; she couldn't help but feel like the other room became noticeably quieter.

"Oh, my mom just has some friends over. They all have kids my age... it's like a play date or something stupid." Max rolled his eyes. He seemed a bit sidetracked, trying to find a phone number for a taxi service.

Mariam raised an eyebrow at this, finding it a bit odd. Max was flipping through the phonebook, his attention elsewhere, so Mariam decided to take a curious peek around the corner.

What Mariam saw really wasn't a surprise; in fact, she should've realized it sooner. The living room was full of women, half of them were Judy's age and had their faces pinched in annoyance with their noses in the air. They seemed to be huddled in a circle whispering to each other. The other half was teenage girls that looked like they were waiting for some type of audition, every now and then they would glare at each other as if in competition.

"What are you doing?" Max asked, he softly tugged Mariam's arm to bring her back into the kitchen. He put the phone on the counter. "Your cab will be here in ten minutes or so."

Mariam studied Max carefully, trying to gauge whether he knew what was brewing in his living room. The confusion on his face quickly proved he had no idea what was going on, and Mariam felt a little guilty suspecting him.

"Do you know what's going on out there?" Mariam asked, her voice hushed to go undetected.

"Uh... a get-together?"

Mariam shook her head. She neared Max and put her hands on his arms reassuringly. "I'm going to ask you something and I think it will become pretty clear."

Max nodded. "Okay."

"None of your mom's friends have any sons?"

Max opened his mouth to reply, but then he quickly closed it. The wheels in his brain seemed to turn and realization soon became evident on his face. He stared at Mariam in silence with a pained expression and then he frowned, breaking out of her grasp, and marched toward the living room.

"Mom!" Mariam was surprised by the tone of Max's voice. She was expecting a profuse apology from the boy, swearing he never knew; but instead the angry blond had stomped his way into the other room. Mariam followed him just in case he got a bit carried away.

Their entrance in the living room caused the circle of middle aged women to break up. Instead of glaring at Max for rudely interrupting, their disapproval was set on Mariam. The blue haired girl shook her head at the sight.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked, "You said you'd be waiting in the kitchen."

Max continued to glare at his mother. "This is my girlfriend everyone," the blond announced, mainly to the cast of teenage girls. "I'm probably going to marry this girl one day."

Mariam struggled to not roll her eyes; she hadn't exactly agreed to the sentiment, and so she opted to hide her gaze behind her hand. The sound of a glass breaking, however, brought her attention back to the room. Judy was scowling at the floor where a glass was now broken at her feet, the liquid soaking into the carpet.

"Max, you're not... You... Max!" Judy sputtered, highly embarrassed by the outburst. The group of women were whispering amongst themselves, shaking their heads with disgust at Mariam. The teenage girls weren't doing much better, their disappointment set with scowls. "Max Tate, what are you doing?"

"You can't just interfere with my relationship like this; Mariam's my girlfriend."

Judy was reluctant to admit her guilt. "What are you talking about?"

"None of your friends have sons?"

Judy paused, still not sure whether she should admit defeat or continue with the charade. The two blonds were stuck in a staring contest until Judy took a deep breath and her attention slowly turned to Mariam.

"You need to leave," Judy simply stated.

Mariam smirked, not in the least bit surprised. Noting Max's annoyance, the blue haired girl stepped in. "Whatever, my ride is probably here."

"Good," Judy smiled and the other women in the room nodded in agreement.

"Well then, I'm glad that's settled. There's just one more thing..." Mariam slid up to Max, her hands on his face as she slowly brought their lips together. There were a few gasps in the room and a few aggravated grumbles causing Mariam to smile in further satisfaction. "Max is mine."

For Judy, things became very clear. She may have lost this battle, but the war was far from over. No one was taking her son away from her, not if she could help it. She would just need to try harder next time.


	11. Kiss

**Note**: Three months in a row. I was honestly pretty worried this chapter would break my updating habit, mainly because it has been very difficult from the beginning. From scrapping the first draft to re-writing entire scenes multiple times, I was like, yeah, this is going fantastic. I actually sat on this update for like a week considering scrapping it all or said scenes again, but decided I may be being too picky. Figured, I like it decently enough to put it out there and see what you guys think. Any constructive criticism would be fantastic.

I would like to thank **AzikaRue394**, **Player Zero**, **Kenrai**, and **MidnightStarr** for the reviews! You guys have patience in spades.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Kiss

The first time Max even thought about kissing Mariam, he felt awful.

They were sitting at a small booth in a rundown diner on a Thursday night. Mariam had been in New York for a little over two months for a reason she refused to disclose and they agreed to meet up on a weekly basis. However, the Saint Shield refused any form of charity, so they often opted for the diner for its low prices. They were waiting on their food and so they sat in the near empty restaurant and just talked.

Mariam had her hands wrapped around the mug of hot chocolate she ordered, her eyes rolling skyward as she talked about some of the people she had dealt with today. During her trip, to earn funds, she was challenging people to money matches in the park. It was actually how Max came across her, following Michael and Eddy to the park in their attempt to challenge the rumoured hot beyblade destroyer. While it had been an awkward meeting at the start, they moved past it and here they were.

Max listened carefully to Mariam describing her day, a smile on his face as she recalled some of her opponents. He always looked forward to meeting up with her like this, hearing her stories and just enjoying her company. And it was when Max was sipping his pop, trying not to laugh at Mariam's portrayal of some repeat loser she faced, that he realized she was beautiful.

Okay, so Max knew she was beautiful for a while, he wasn't blind. But sitting in the booth, looking at her across the table, it was as if the fact crashed to the forefront of his brain in urgency. He stared at her, probably with a stupid smile on his face, and everything fell into place in his brain as if he just solved an intricate puzzle.

She was gorgeous. She was incredible, funny, and smart. She was all these things and more and Max felt absolutely awful.

Meeting Mariam in the park after years left them disjointed and off the track they had previously been on. Mariam felt guilty and frustrated, Max felt confused and suspicious. It took a lot of work, and a lot of diligence on Max's part, to move things forward and resolve any unanswered questions. Eventually the distance closed and the built-up walls were torn down and Max felt they had become good friends in a short amount of time.

Yet here he was, wrecking everything he worked so hard on. And to Max's credit, he had been burying any lingering thoughts, denying any skipped heartbeats and sweaty palms. He quickly found logical excuses for any change in his behaviour, be it lost sleep or skipped meals, but for some reason today was different. All these withheld feelings were being released through the floodgates to his forethoughts and risking the friendship he so carefully constructed.

"What's your problem?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, nothing. Sorry."

Risking everything wasn't easy for Max, feeling their very friendship was already built on a shaky foundation. The last thing he wanted was to lose Mariam because he couldn't handle how he felt, especially after such a show of insisting their friendship in the first place. They both promised from the beginning that there were no ulterior motives and the boy couldn't help but feel like he lied through his teeth.

Max, holding onto some hope that he wasn't some pitiful jerk, analyzed every move Mariam made and every word she spoke down to the last letter from that point forward. He prayed for some sign to show him it was okay to feel so much for this girl. And with every sign he thought he saw came so much doubt and second guessing that it left a gash on his bottom lip for days.

It was this inner turmoil between his head and his heart that led Max to his decision. He was driving himself crazy, looking for things that possibly weren't even there and going through their conversations hundreds of times. He needed to do something, no matter the consequences, for the benefit of his sanity.

And so, the first time Max tried kissing Mariam, he felt his life flash before his eyes.

Being the gentleman he was, and wanting to spend every last second on Earth with her, Max began walking Mariam to her hotel after their meetings. She was not too keen with the idea at first, but his persistence with New York being dangerous at night made her relent after the rants weren't worth the fighting. And, to tell the truth, she didn't mind the additional time with the boy and how he would point out different things on the way.

The growing amount of time Max was spending with Mariam did not go unnoticed. The severs at the diner often gave them extras and once one of them even winked at Max and wished him good luck. The person that seemed to notice the most was Max's mom who, in a huff, would text and call him more each night. He found it very embarrassing, but Mariam never made any comments. If she needed any reminders that Max was younger than she was, he supposed his mom was doing a good job.

"Hey, if you ever want great baked goods, check this place out." Max jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of a family run business. Mariam looked back to catch the name, their shoulders brushing in the process and Max turning slightly red. Luckily, the weather was brisk and he could blame it on the cold.

In his coat pocket Max felt his phone buzz with a new text message. It was the seventh one he ignored tonight and he knew he would be receiving a lecture when he finally went home. Tonight his brain was just too rattled and his nerves shot to even focus on anything else. Max had spent the evening biding his time, looking for hints, and awaiting the perfect moment. He hadn't had the best of luck so far, but he was hopeful.

She turned back to him with a smirk. "We take the same route every time, ever going to run out of places to suggest?"

Max smiled in response. "We'll just have to change routes if I do."

Max held his coat closer to him as they made the final stretch to the hotel. Both of them were relieved when they finally walked into the building's lobby, loosening their coats and rubbing their hands together as they welcomed the room's heat. The front desk clerk greeted them as they passed for the elevators; it may have been a bit too obvious, but Max always insisted on walking her straight to her room.

The elevator beeped when they reached the ninth floor and the pair walked down the maze of hallways to reach her door. Mariam fished in her pocket for the room card while Max shuffled behind her, feeling as if he was losing all his time.

"Well, thanks again for walking me back, but I really think I'd be fine to walk by myself." Mariam pulled the key card out of her pocket, flipping it over in her hands. She turned to look at the blond, another smirk gracing her features. "Besides, who's going to walk you home?"

Max shoved his hands into his pockets, not knowing what do with his hands as his nerves took over. "Yeah..." He cringed at how awkward he was being and knowing it would surely be noted.

Mariam raised a curious eyebrow at this. "Alright... well, I'll see you around. Send those jokes of teammates over sometime, free money." She chucked at her own joke a bit, turning back to the door to let herself in for the night.

"Uh... wait!" Max panicked. When she looked back at him in surprise all he could he do was stare and stammer. The whole thing made him feel ridiculous, no girl ever made him feel like such a fool like Mariam did and she wasn't even trying.

He could tell Mariam was losing her patience waiting for him to say something meaningful or at least get his thoughts in order. Max took his hands out of his pockets and sort of gestured spastically with them, not improving the situation at all.

Annoyance soon took over Mariam's visage and once again her attention went back to her door, muttering goodnight to the boy. Max took a deep breath, grabbed her arm as gently as possible and turned her to face him. She narrowed her gaze on him and he could almost see her walls build back up around her as she studied him. Max stepped forward to close the distance between them as Mariam tensed. There was a live countdown in his head and just as it reached zero and he moved in the loud sound of his ringtone went off.

Max stopped completely, the phone in his pocket continuing to ring relentlessly. He didn't move, almost scared to, as his eyes met Mariam's. Her eyes were hardened in his direction, almost daring him to come closer at the risk of his life. He swallowed hard, his brain screaming for an evacuation plan. Very suddenly, Max jerked back and continued to shuffle himself further away from the blue haired girl, her gaze still trained on his every movement.

"Uh... goodnight?" Max finally choked out, his voice cracking to add further humiliation. His face hot from embarrassment, the boy backed himself into another hallway before he all but ran from the hotel.

With that, Max avoided Mariam for two weeks.

It was easy for Max to hide from her considering that he initiated most of their contact. He kept himself busy between training and assisting his mother at the BBA building, which Judy personally approved. And while he didn't see the Saint Shield for some time, she never escaped his thoughts.

Max couldn't stop himself from replaying over that night's events, his embarrassment taking him over in waves days later. He felt like he took this new friendship with Mariam that he adored and just threw it forcefully on the ground. The way Mariam looked at him that night tugged at his heart until it felt like it was drowning in his stomach.

For his sanity's sake he made another decision, though it decidedly did not go well last time. Max was going to just forget Mariam, push his foolishness and mistakes as far away as possible and use this as a lesson for next time. This decision was why Max was so surprised to see the girl of his torture waiting for him one day after one of his training sessions.

"Hey."

The blond stopped short, his eyes immediately stuck to the blue haired girl as she hung out in one of the hallways in the BBA building. She leaned against the wall casually and Max was somewhat surprised she hadn't been asked to leave by any security officials.

Realizing he was just staring at the girl again, Max smiled awkwardly. He hefted his gym bag onto his shoulder, buying time to clear his head. "Oh... hey."

Mariam walked closer to him. "So, you've stood me up at least twice."

Max nodded at a loss for words. They had gotten into the habit of meeting at least once a week. "I guess... I've been busy?" Max wasn't sure what he should say, and he really didn't know why he said what he did. It was obviously a lie and everything about the whole situation made him uncomfortable.

"Alright, so are you busy now?" The question made Max confused. She couldn't possibly believe he was telling the truth. That paired with the fact Mariam was seemingly forgetting his previous actions left Max wary. It was making him question their distance and whether Mariam was trying to lure him into a false sense of security to leave him with a busted lip or broken nose. "You kind of owe me."

"Like dinner?" Max asked dumbly.

"Yes, you know that thing we've been doing for like two months before you went AWOL."

"Okay, sure, I guess. Yeah."

He played with the strap of his gym bag as they made their way out of the building. Max slowly accepted the fact that his life wasn't hanging in the balance and all his hopes started to flutter into his chest again. Every part of his brain told him to accept the second chance, pick up and dust their friendship off and carefully put the pieces back together, but his heart screamed differently. He was back at odds with himself, looking at Mariam left him back at the beginning and all he wanted to do was prove his feelings couldn't simply be forgotten.

That night, the first time Max actually kissed Mariam, left him even more confused than before.

To Max it honestly felt like the night over two weeks ago decided to repeat. The only difference was his uneasiness quadrupled and left him tense and awkward. Mariam was doing an amazing job of either forgetting everything or simply choosing to put it behind them. It made Max feel bad for wanting to try to kiss her again.

Dinner went relatively smoothly, the gaps in conversation cut short by Mariam. Max felt like he was being tugged in a general direction, her motives unclear as she steered their discussion in their usual fashion. He got to complain about his mother, and her, her opponents. Their meal was served with a dessert they never ordered and any protests were waved off. Max ended up paying as an apology and for once Mariam accepted without complaints.

They then found themselves walking through the snow covered sidewalks on the way to the hotel. Their shoes crunched on the snow, breaking up the silence between them. Max had his gym bag slung over his shoulder, his cold fingers gripping the strap as he regretted not wearing any gloves.

"Guess we need to change routes." Max looked curiously over at Mariam at her words. She had her arms crossed, hugging her coat closer in the process. Seeing his confusion, she shook her head. "You didn't point out anything."

"I didn't," Max agreed. He finally looked around at their surroundings, surprised to see the hotel front before them. The blond came to a halt, his hands pushed into his coat's pockets suddenly, and the strap of his gym bag coming loose on his shoulder in the process.

Mariam regarded him momentarily, her eyes falling from the blond to the glass doors of the hotel and the inviting warmth inside. "Are you coming or what?"

Max stared at her wide eyed. "No, I don't think that's a good idea." He then forced himself to look at the ground and the slush gathered at his feet.

"What happened to all that bull about getting attacked or whatever?"

"It wasn't bull."

Max was still refusing to look at her, not that he wanted to simply say goodbye and run off. It left him frustrated as some snow started to fall from the sky at regular intervals. Mariam rolled her eyes, grabbing hold of his sleeve and pulling him inside the building.

"Mariam!"

"If you're going to have a stupid existential crisis, have one inside where it's warm."

Max tried hard to glare at her once she stopped pulling on his arm. She easily mustered one back as she loosened her coat in the warmth of the lobby. Max merely stared, her blue hair coated with specks of snowflakes and glistening from their crystals. His throat tightened in contrast to any words he thought he wanted to say.

"Listen, Max. You're going to walk me upstairs, we're going to say goodnight, and then you can leave. You can hang outside all night, I really don't care. I'm not dealing with any possible stupid what-ifs that brain of yours will come up with and I'm not going to deal with you showing up in the middle of the night to apologize. And before you say that wouldn't happen, shut-up, yes it would. You know it. Got it?"

Still at a loss for words, Max simply nodded his head. He was unsure if he could form any useful words at the moment and Mariam seemed to accept this. So, just like the night prior, the blond followed Mariam onto the elevator and to her floor.

Walking the hallways, Mariam had her hands in her pocket again searching for the card key. Max, however, was focused on the carpet and the mess his shoes were leaving. Because of this, he nearly ran into the girl when they reached her room; Max yelped at this and jumped a few feet back to give Mariam distance. Surprisingly, she laughed. Max relaxed, his face hot again from embarrassment as he closed the gap between them again. His eyes were cast down to the tacky carpet while her hands played with the found key card.

"You're off the hook now. Goodnight." Max bit his bottom lip at her words, his recently healed wound tender at the touch of his teeth. He had so much to say and everything was rushing together blindly. "Unless... there's something else?"

Max's head immediately shot up, his blue eyes meeting her green. He was almost skeptical she had said anything else, but Mariam seemed to be studying him curiously. He opened his mouth to say something, but he found he had no words. His voice cracked in an attempt to just push his thoughts out and he blushed with frustration.

All the while, Mariam just watched him. Her patience left him surprised and he was lost as to why she was even putting up with his floundering.

"I don't have all night."

Her words weren't cruel, but honest. It was the push Max needed to move forward and it felt like a gravitational pull when the boy got close enough. Shyly, his lips brushed against hers and the conflict between his brain and his heart came to a standstill. All the turmoil in his life ebbed away and he was forever thankful he left his phone at his apartment this morning.

Just as quickly as the kiss happened, it was over. Blue eyes were stuck to green and his words were still nowhere to be found. Wordlessly, they said goodnight.

If it hadn't been for Mariam, Max would've been left to throw away another chance. And that night, he walked home in the snow with a smile on his face and relieved. That's why it left Max confused when it was Mariam's turn to disappear for two weeks.

At first Max didn't notice, they were both busy people with their own lives. It wasn't until he actively tried to seek her out that she never seemed to be around. The park she actively battled in was empty and calls to her room went unanswered; even when he worked up enough courage to go knock on her door himself, he was found with no answer.

He was confused, to say the least. Max had even gone to the diner a few nights to no avail. The servers admitted that the last time they had seen Mariam was with him.

The boy really wasn't sure what happened and after going through the moment multiple times in his head he decided to give Mariam the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she had to return home suddenly because of an emergency, maybe the true reason she was in New York finally happened and she just didn't have the time.

These possibilities were good enough for Max; at the very least they subdued the heartache. He busied himself as much as possible, but kept his phone on his person at loud volumes and always looked over his shoulder. It probably annoyed everyone else around him, but it kept him sane.

And it was these weird coping mechanisms that led him to see her again in the streets of New York. Max was going for a walk, his attention on his surroundings when someone caught his eye. Every now and then he needed to do double takes to verify if the person he saw was Mariam or not and this time his gaze met very familiar green eyes. He stopped and stared in her direction for a few seconds until she abruptly decided to leave.

In those few seconds Max came to the realization that the excuses his brain came up with were all lies. He really had no idea what was wrong or what he did. In an instant, Max was running after her, his shoes struggling to keep traction on the snow and ice. He slipped his way after her when she finally came to a stop in a park.

"Wait," he called after her, nearly falling. She muttered something under her breath, her frustration clear when she turned to face him. Relieved for the chase to stop, Max caught his breath.

"Yes?" Mariam was very clearly annoyed. Max noticed she was refusing to look at him; her arms were crossed and her head was craned away as if looking for an escape.

Max floundered, his own annoyance growing. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Why did you run?"

"I'm busy."

Max frowned. "Come on, Mariam. What's going on?"

Mariam slowly turned her attention back to him. Max was taken aback by the glare she was giving him, the intensity of it felt like he was being kicked when he was already down. "Nothing. Are you done?"

"You can't just do that." Max let out an exasperated sigh. "You can't just kiss me one day and hate me the next."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Max. And I didn't kiss you. If you hadn't been so weird about everything... Ugh. Never mind."

Max's heart sank. He had no idea what to say or do. Mariam took this as her place to leave, but Max stepped in front of her. Seeing her expression flash with anger, Max raised his hands in defense. "Mariam... you, you should've just told me."

"Right." Her sarcasm was ever prevalent.

Max shook his head, feeling absolutely gutted. Mariam slowly realized his expression and simply sighed. "I should've just been your friend, I'm so stupid."

Mariam wanted to agree, but she knew she was uncertain herself. There was something about Max that did that to her, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She told herself it would be easier if Max took the blame.

But that wasn't the case, not in the least. Every time she laid eyes on Max he seemed to beat himself up more and his apologies were profuse and never-ending. Mariam felt guilty and then angry with the boy because he started this whole mess in the first place with his lopsided smile and shining eyes. She knew she wasn't an easy person to deal with and Max did so with genuine interest.

As Max eased himself back into the role of friend, Mariam found that it was her turn to fully question everything. He carefully laid out all of his intentions, clearing every questionable factor with an excuse. He was no longer blundering, but confident. He pushed his insecurities away and did everything possible to keep their friendship alive.

"You sure we can be friends?"

"Absolutely. When it comes to you, I can do anything."

Mariam soon found that she possibly wanted to do the opposite. Every piece that Max did his best to carefully put back in place, Mariam wanted to shatter into thousands more. The guilt weighing on her shoulders gradually broke away any left confusion and her memories of the night they kissed came more frequently. And so, Mariam made a decision.

The first time Mariam kissed Max, she didn't feel awful. She also didn't see her life flash before her eyes and she wasn't left more confused than before.

"Okay, Max, I need you to shut-up." Max and Mariam had been sitting on a park bench around noon, the blond carrying on as usual. As soon as he heard her words though, his mouth clamped shut. "I need to tell you something."

Silently, Max nodded his head. His eyes sparkled curiously as he tilted his head in wonder. Seeing this, Mariam looked in the distance and not in his direction to avoid distraction.

"I wanted you to kiss me." Mariam scowled at her statement, she wasn't used to being so open and the way she dragged Max through the mud left her with a lot of self-hate. "I think, anyway. At the moment, I did."

Max remained silent. Mariam didn't dare look at him, not even when he stood up from the bench. He walked in a small semi-circle and trudged back to stand in front of Mariam. "I'm sorry... what?"

The lack of anger in his voice moved Mariam to meet his gaze. His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth gaping open as he searched for further words.

"In the moment, I guess, I wanted you to kiss me." Her gaze fell in embarrassment, a feeling she despised. "Afterwards, I just didn't know how to feel or if I liked where it was going... It's a lot easier to hate someone."

"Mariam."

"Sorry I've put you through Hell because I apparently don't know how to deal with my feelings."

To Mariam, nothing was worse than admitting your weaknesses in front of someone. The sound of Max's soft laughter brought her attention back to him as he knelt on the snowy ground.

"I, uh, put myself through Hell with not knowing how to handle my own feelings... so it's okay." Max offered her one of his signature smiles, ignoring how his knees were getting soaked and how his skin was beginning to go numb. "I'm sorry you had to go through that though..."

She stared into his blue eyes, how his sincerity lit them up. Of course he wouldn't blame her or get mad; it was just his nature to accept everything about her. Even her ugliest flaws went unnoticed by Max and it brought a familiar flutter to her chest.

Without thinking, Mariam grabbed hold of the blond and pressed their lips together firmly. Max nearly fell over in the process, quickly regaining his balance and leaning in further to the touch. Mariam decided this time if she wanted to hate someone tomorrow, it would be her. Max didn't deserve it.

"Wow...," Max finally said when she pulled away. Mariam smirked, causing him to fluster up and shake his head. "I mean, thank you. Er..."

"I figure you can hate me now and we'll be even."

The boy smiled shyly, his head tilting towards the ground. "I don't think I could ever hate you, especially after that..."

"Good."

Max felt his heart soar higher than it had in weeks and his lips tingled. Every ounce of pain was suddenly worth it looking at the girl before him and how she was trying to hide her own smile. And while his first kiss didn't go as planned, this one motivated him further.

The second time Max kissed Mariam, everything felt right.


	12. Lemonade

**Note**: Four months in a row! For a while, I didn't even think I'd get around to writing this chapter. I've essentially been having multiple allergic reactions a day, not a lot of fun. Regardless, the monthly updates should continue, though you might not see me until a late part of April.

Oh, this chapter is also kind of related to _Highway_. Nothing really specific is mentioned, so if you forgot it, it's fine.

Thanks to **Player Zero**, **Kenrai**, and **MidnightStarr** for the reviews. Always very much appreciated. Extra thanks to Kenrai for pushing me to write this chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Lemonade

"Oh God, Hilary! What did you put in this?"

"Nothing!"

Max smiled, walking through the entrance of his new apartment with a medium sized box in his arms. He stood in the doorway pleased with his new home and the fact that two of his best friends had travelled all the way stateside to help him move. They claimed it was only right, Max having helped them both move a handful of times with a grin on his lips the whole time. He was thankful he had such amazing friends.

The pair that had come to help him, Tyson and Hilary, were standing opposite of each other in his living room. They were surrounded by towering boxes and Tyson was holding a glass in his hand, a disgusted look on his face as he looked down to its contents. Hilary was giving the capped boy an equally disgusted look, her hands on her hips, as a pitcher of what looked like lemonade balanced steadily on top of a cardboard box.

"You know this is supposed to have sugar, right?"

Hilary rolled her eyes. "It does!" She waved her hand to a small thing of sugar that Max noted was beside the pitcher. The blond walked into the room, setting the box down on the floor before he also put his hands on his hips as he watched the pair curiously.

"What? A single grain of sugar?" Tyson scoffed. He grabbed the small container of sugar and proceeded to dump a few teaspoons into his glass. Hilary gagged and Max pinched his face together equally sickened. Tyson stirred the contents of his drink with the spoon, eyeing his friends with a shrug. "You don't know how bad it was before."

"It's fine," Hilary argued. She looked to Max to make her point and the boy shrugged with a small smile, not too keen about the idea of getting in the middle of an argument.

"I really appreciate the help guys." Max tried to steer the conversation elsewhere and from the looks on their faces they seemed to reciprocate. Hilary waved him off and Tyson once again shrugged, taking a drink from his sugary glass. "I mean it; you didn't have to come all this way to carry boxes."

"Don't worry about it buddy!" Tyson frowned at his glass, but eventually took another quick sip. "You help us out all the time, just returning the favour." Hilary nodded in agreement.

Max grinned, he stood back to get a good look at the room. He had gotten his bigger furniture moved in days prior and the three of them had just been handling the boxes of his smaller belongings. The apartment was beginning to look homier by the hour and while it made him feel welcomed, another part of him was left feeling anxious.

"What do you guys think of the place?"

Max was honestly curious to what his friends had to say, he had chosen the place himself, refused any help from his parents. He denied all handouts, wanting to go about his first place his own way. His mom was not very happy about this, his phone was full of messages of her trying to pry in some way or another, but Max had his own reasons. He needed there to be no strings attached for what he had planned.

Hilary jumped into the conversation first. "It's great Max! Really suits you, I know you'll love it here. And look at the view!" The brunette always gushed whenever she was in New York, dragging her friends to visit sights and really immerse herself into the culture.

Max scratched his head, weaving his fingers through his hair in thought. "You think so? You don't think it's too... _masculine_?"

Hilary tilted her head at the odd question, looking about the room she believed to be very neutral. While she was thinking about how to respond, Tyson snapped his fingers. He pointed to Max, drink wobbling in his other hand. "Dude, you know what you could do? Hang up posters of girls...!" The champion's voice trailed off as Hilary's face turned back to disgust in his direction. "Not that _I'd_ do that."

"Don't listen to him," Hilary said in annoyance, "please." Tyson rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, I won't." Max smiled sheepishly, his head ducked down to the hardwood floor. "But, really, you don't think it's too masculine?"

"Why, is Mariam moving in?" Tyson laughed, winking at Hilary in the process. The brunette laughed too, but the silence from the blond caught them both off guard. They stopped, looked at each other, and Tyson sat his drink down on another of the many cardboard boxes. "Wait, seriously? How has your mom not locked you up yet?"

"She doesn't... know."

Tyson cringed. "We're accomplices. Hil, we're going down."

"Besides, Mariam's not moving in. Laws don't really work like that." Max crossed his arms, slouching against the wall as he explained what truly was going on. "I just figured, if I got a place of my own, she could stay here when she visits instead of the hotel."

"Wait... Mariam knows you're doing this, right?"

Max bit his lip and then proceeded to shake his head.

"We're screwed." Tyson looked over to Hilary with concern on his face. She was deep in thought, so she ignored him, looking about the room. "Max, tell my fans I loved them."

"You're fine."

"I want to be buried with my hat."

Max covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath. The whole situation made him feel good and bad at the same time; he was so excited for his future, but felt like he was burning bridges in the process. He could only imagine his mother's reaction. Max was pretty sure Mariam would go along with the plan, but of course he would give her time to decide on what she wanted to do. He just wanted her to be comfortable in his life and he felt like he couldn't do that if she was never welcomed in his own home.

"I think...," Hilary began, tapping her pointer finger on her chin a few times, "that this will be perfect." Max peeked at her from between his fingers at first, but upon realization of her words, lowered his hands. Hilary smiled. "Really, Max. I think you just need to be open to any changes she wants to make."

"Right," Max said nodding, egging his friend on to continue.

"Little things, you know? To make her more comfortable."

"Of course!"

Tyson crossed his arms incredulously, regarding his two friends' conversation. "Let's be realistic here, pretty sure Mariam isn't the one who's gonna blow a gasket when she finds out." Tyson tilted his head toward Max. "What's the worse Mariam will do? Be a bit put off due to the surprise? Your mom's gonna enroll you in a convent or something."

"Tyson!" Hilary scolded.

"What?"

Max shook his head again. "No, he's right. I'm nervous about how Mariam will react 'cause I'm not sure what to expect. I know how my mom is, though." He scratched the back of his neck, his blue eyes looking back and forth between his two friends. "It's why I didn't let my parents pay for anything, so she had no leverage."

"Oh," Tyson said simply in realization. He then tapped his finger to his temple with a grin. "Sneaky."

"Well, this is important to me. I mean, one day we could..."

"You could...?" Tyson had a puzzled look on his face.

Max turned sheepish. "I don't know, get married?"

Tyson was taken aback, he had never considered it before, but he knew they were much older than they used to be. Of course it was possible. On that thought, Hilary squealed. The loud pitch made Tyson cringe as the brunette swarmed Max with a gigantic hug. The blond spluttered, causing Tyson to grin.

"I'm not proposing, Hilary! Not like... now, anyway."

Tyson laughed, putting his arms behind his head. "Too late man, you got a wedding planner now."

Max joined in laughing, his arms wrapping around Hilary to give her a hug back. On this new path in his life, how could he have doubted his best friends would have supported him? He just hoped in a few weeks' time it would be Mariam hugging him this tightly.


	13. M&M's

**Note**: Well, we're officially up to five months in a row. And I think I've updated more this year than I have in the past two years? Oh well, what matters is that there's regular updates now. If there's ever an issue, I'll post on my profile about a delay, but for now we're golden.

Many thanks to **Dead-bY-n0w**, **AzikaRue394**, and **Kenrai** for their reviews! As always very much appreciated. And extra thanks to AzikaRue394 for all the late night talks to sort out exactly what I want to do with this chapter and future chapters and just with MaxMariam in general.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade or M&M's.

M&M's

"Breakfast of champions."

Max yawned, resting his head against the vending machine in the entranceway of the hospital. Truth be told, he didn't know exactly what time it was. Outside he could see sunlight just beginning to break outside, everything quiet and at rest. He had practically dragged Mariam to the emergency room late last night, having never seen anyone throw up so much in his or her life over the past few days and his concern got the better of him. Annoyed with his persistence, she made him stay put in the waiting room over an hour ago and here he was, staring at the most pitiful display of options a vending machine ever had.

He flipped his dollar bill over in his hands, smoothing it out the best he could. Max lifted his head off the machine and frowned. Inside he was able to choose from M&M's, cheese and crackers, or a package of assorted nuts he was sure the company went bankrupt from about 10 years ago. Not wanting to push his luck, he went with the chocolate.

Feeding his cash into the machine, Max watched the spirals holding his candy unwind. After a second of hesitance, the M&M's dropped to the chute and the blond bent down to pick them up. It was then that the doors behind him opened up and Mariam rushed past him, not even acknowledging Max, she continued briskly until she was outside.

"Hey!" Max called hurrying after her. Still not stopping, Max broke into a quick jog to catch up, rushing just past Mariam so she would finally see him. "Remember me, your husband?"

Mariam finally came to a standstill, her attention to Max with a sudden glare. The blond held his hands up in defense, M&M's pack flipping limply in his hand. He noticed his wife seemed off, tense and guarded and the expression past her glare was unnerved. Concerned, Max lowered his hands and gestured to a nearby bench. He placed an arm behind her back, noting just how stiff she was, and guided her towards it.

"Is everything okay? What did they say?" Max spoke softly, his blue eyes studying all of her features for some clue. They took a seat on the small wooden bench facing away from the hospital, Max's arm still wrapped around her back and holding her tightly. "Is it bad?"

Mariam slowly tilted her head toward him, her green eyes wet with approaching tears. This was not something Max saw often and his heart lurched and he held her against him even tighter. She opened her mouth and her voice creaked, visibly overcome by what had happened. Max was kicking himself for letting her go in alone.

"I'm pregnant."

Those two simple words shook Max's brain. He stared at her, completely dumfounded and of no use for a long time. Mariam wiped at her eyes, scowling at her emotions as if they were a burden, as Max tried to collect himself. His packet of M&M's dropped from his free hand to the grass, completely forgotten; he retracted his other arm to angle himself to Mariam, his mouth open and trying to form some comprehensive words.

"How...?" It was all Max could come up with, the only word that could push through his thoughts. He knew it was stupid, and the look Mariam suddenly gave him told him she also thought it was stupid.

"Really, Max?"

He sheepishly looked away from her leveled gaze, his mind still reeling. "I mean... like now?" He cringed again at his next question; he sure was on a roll.

"Yes, now." Mariam covered her face in her hands, breathing out a deep sigh. "You're really not helping, Max."

"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized. Max was at such a loss, he rubbed her back, not knowing what else to do. "I mean, like... how far along are you?" Nothing felt real.

"About a month," Mariam said softly. She cupped her hands together as she lowered them from her face, resting them eventually on her lap with unease. She looked to her husband, his face drawn together with such focus, his brain working away as if solving a puzzle.

"About a month," Max repeated in awe. He stared at Mariam, their eyes meeting in their shared silence and it was suddenly as if everything made sense for Max. He seemed almost relieved before his expression brightened further, a grin forming on his lips. It was like an epiphany. "You're pregnant."

Mariam couldn't help but smile at this, wiping at a stray tear that made its way down her cheek. "I am." She added, "Good job."

"Thanks," Max said out of habit, then cringed at the context. Mariam snorted, soft laughter fitting between them. Max wrapped his arm back fully around his wife. "Well, you know what I meant."

Mariam didn't say anything, still uneasy at the news. Her hands fidgeted together in her lap, her mind going about a thousand miles a minute. Max was holding her against him, rubbing her arm and trying to be soothing. She could feel the excitement coming off him in waves, and here she was a mess of emotions and fears and questions. Her hands eventually retreated to her face, hiding her eyes as she felt another rush of just wanting to cry.

"This is so stupid..." It was muffled, but Max heard. "I'm supposed to be happy."

Max smiled softly before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "No one can tell you how to feel, Mariam." She groaned a bit from behind her hands, and Max nudged her closer to him, wrapping his other arm around her. "You want to talk about it?"

Mariam conceded, dropping her hands from her face again to wrap around Max tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder, the soft fabric of his sweatshirt drying her tears. "I can't do this, Max. I _can't_." The blond strained to hear his wife, but hummed in acknowledgement to her statement, his hand rubbing her back. "I'm going to be the worst mom... I can barely take care of myself..."

Max listened to her mumble off her list of fears, nodding even when they became practically silent as they were whispered into his shoulder blade. "I'm scared too," he murmured, catching her attention. She peeked out at him, her eyes red and he could practically feel how ashamed she was from expressing herself in public. He kissed her reassuringly again on the top of her head. "But I think we could do this, we can handle anything if we're together, if you want to try?"

"It's not that I don't want..." Mariam lifted herself from his shoulder, biting her lip. She sighed in frustration, using her hand to wipe at tears in dismay. "It's not that. It's that I'm so terrified and this was unexpected and... God, I hate hormones."

"You're going to be an amazing mother."

"Max..."

"You will, I know it." He pressed his lips softly against her cheek, making her smile. Mariam locked her arms tightly around him and Max took the opportunity to bury his head in the crook of her neck. "We're going to get through all the scary parts together." Mariam nodded in agreement and so Max cheekily added, "Even telling my Mom."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Do you think we could keep things quiet for now...?" She was hesitant. "I mean, I'd _love_ to tell your Mom, but I just need more..."

"Time?" Max guessed. Mariam nodded. She already hated her emotions and here they were all over the place, but Max was helping and the situation was slowly becoming more viable. "Absolutely. We can wait as long as you want. I told you, we're in this together."

"Alright. You're right." Mariam let out another deep breath. "Can we go home? We got a lot to talk about."

The pair slowly let go of each other, standing up from the bench and stretching as daylight finally seemed to take over, the morning sun illuminating everything in lovely shades. Max could tell Mariam was still embarrassed, so he kept his arm around her as he led her back toward their car.

They spent the day wrapped up with blankets in bed, talking about the future and their fears and their wishes and slowly Mariam seemed to realize the world wasn't ending. She curled up against Max, drifting to sleep as his head rested on top of hers. Their breathing in time, Mariam grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers together and he instantly gave her a reassuring squeeze.

But just as quickly, Max let go and started to search his pockets. Mariam, confused, looked up at her husband, a quizzical expression found on his face. "I bought M&M's today," he reasoned sheepishly, patting his pockets down. Mariam smirked at him when he sighed in defeat. "Weird. Wonder what happened to them?"

He settled back into bed and Mariam snuggled back into him. His hand fitted right back into hers where it belonged. "I love you."


	14. Nap

**Note**: 6 months! I'll be honest, I really had to push myself to get a chapter out this month. May and June are terrible months for me, so a chapter being uploaded next month is a bit in the air at this point. I'll try my hardest, but my apologies if one is not uploaded in June.

Thank you **Dead-bY-n0w**, **Player Zero**, **MidnightStarr**, **Kenrai**, and **AzikaRue394** for the reviews! As always, very much appreciated. Any constructive criticism is very much valued.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Nap

Max felt like he had been sitting forever in the uncomfortable plastic chair at the airport. However, it only had been about 20 minutes. A slight delay made Max feel queasy, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he played with the contents of his pocket. Any other person would've thought he was getting ready to propose, but in his hand was a simple set of keys. A simple set of keys that he knew would be causing a bunch of complicated problems.

As people began to arrive, flowing through the set of double doors and rushing to their loved ones, Max stood up and looked carefully for a familiar face. He fiddled with the keys, the edges playing against his fingertips and pressing against his palm. He had no idea how he was going to do this, how to explain himself. And as if right on cue, Mariam made her way through the doors, their eyes locked and the boy broke out into a grin. They met halfway, Max letting go of the keys in his pocket to wrap his arms tightly around Mariam, her arms linking themselves around his neck.

This was so much better than goodbyes.

"No paparazzi," Mariam commented, nuzzling her face tiredly into Max's shoulder.

He laughed before kissing the top of her head. "Nah, not this time. Picked a good time, I guess."

Mariam reluctantly let go of her boyfriend, her expression spent. It was probably why Max so easily got her luggage away from her, needing to be the gentleman and carry it away. "No offense, but I can't wait to get to the hotel and just sleep." Max gave her a tight smile, mumbling about something as he tried to lead her toward the parking lot. Suspicious, she followed. "What was that about?"

"Huh? Nothing?" Max tried to play innocent. The pair walked toward his car, something new Mariam hadn't seen before. As Max began to put her luggage into the trunk, clearly nervous about something, Mariam observed with her hands on her hips.

"Your Mom moved onto bribes?"

Max cracked a smile as he shook his head. "Nope, this is mine." He scratched his head and Mariam raised a single eyebrow. He walked toward her, his lips finding hers for the first time since she had landed. She smiled into the kiss, her hand at the base of his neck. "I really missed you."

"I know, I got about a dozen letters."

Max hung his head at the comment, a sheepish smile on his lips. "Sorry."

"You never mentioned a car though," Mariam commented, she looked at him curiously again. And just like before he bounced away to get into the driver's seat; she followed suit going for the passenger seat, her eyes trained on the skittish boy.

"Uh... I guess 'cause they're not very romantic?"

She opened the door first. "Uh-huh." The pair both climbed into the vehicle, Max shifting about nervously as he put on his seatbelt. Her gaze was steady on him; she knew he was hiding something. She clicked her own seatbelt into place. "You did remember to get me a hotel, right?"

Max bit his lip and Mariam sighed. Interestingly enough, his hand reached for his front pocket, his hand lingering uneasily over the contents. The boy wasn't looking at her, but he was noticeably tense and his fingers tapped nervously on his lap.

"I swear... Max, if that's a ring I'm going to kill you." Mariam covered her eyes with her hands in exasperation. She was jetlagged and she did not want to deal with this right now. He seemed to be getting into the habit of wanting serious conversations to happen at the airport and she was far from amused.

"It's not a ring," Max said simply. He looked over to her as she dropped her hands from her face. She was clearly unimpressed. Reluctantly, he dug into his front pocket and pulled out the simple set of keys. He held onto them for a moment, unsure on how to continue and whether they would just be thrown back into his face; eventually he handed them to her with a slight smile.

Mariam looked at the keys now in her possession, a set of three. She looked from them to her boyfriend's worried face. "These aren't like the keys to your heart, are they?" she asked with a frown on her face, surveying the unmarked keys.

Max scratched the side of his head, his eyes trained back to the window and his hands now rested on the steering wheel as if in preparation for the drive home. "No. They're, uh, to my new apartment." He cleared his throat in finality of the statement.

"Really?"

As soon as he heard her tone his heart crumbled. He could feel her gaze on him for a few seconds before her eyes rolled skyward and she turned toward the passenger side window, the keys encased in her grasp. "Yeah, I got it like a month ago or so..." His words were soft and it was as if they never reached her. She let out a deep breath.

"We were going to _talk_ about this, Max."

"I know, but..."

"There are no buts, Max!" She turned to look at him in annoyance. She waved the keys at him. "You didn't mention a single thing to me once. You just surprise me. You're supposed to _know_ me."

"I do know you! It's just... I needed a change. I'm not asking you to live with me, Mariam. I'm giving you the option to stay with me."

"Did you book the hotel like I asked?"

"No."

"Good options." Another roll of the eyes. "Does your Mom know about this?"

Max bit his lip again. "Not yet..."

"Oh great, so I'll be to blame for all of this. Good plan, Max." Mariam pinched the bridge of her nose, her attention back out the passenger window. Max sighed, he sulked a bit in his seat defeated. This was going worse than he had ever imagined.

"I can get you a hotel no problem, but can I at least show you the place...?"

"Sure, let's do whatever you want to do."

Her sarcasm stung, but Max took the signal to turn on the ignition. The drive was long and quiet; Max sat tensed in his seat. He would look over to Mariam, her body angled away from him as her eyes were trained outside. It was dark out, but he could tell she was angry. Probably beyond angry. He couldn't find the proper words to say, so he said the obvious.

"You're mad?"

His question was said in disappointment, he couldn't help it. Mariam didn't even bother to look at him, a simple snort at the audacity of his inquiry. It was silent yet again.

Eventually Max arrived at his destination, his apartment. He debated with himself on just bringing Mariam to a hotel, let her cool off, but he did know her and her tendency to avoid when pushed. And he knew he was pushing too hard, but he needed to explain himself, to make things right before she decided to flee. Looking at her, Mariam was clearly still unimpressed.

"We're here," Max said quietly. He undid his seatbelt, watching as she sat unmoving in the passenger side. "Mariam, I just want to show you..."

Mariam growled in annoyance, unbuckling herself and getting out of the car in an air of frustration. The door slammed behind her and Max flinched, but took her movement as a sign of progress. He got out of the car and gestured toward the building, her glare resting on him as she followed with her arms crossed. Their act continued as such as they entered the building and took the elevator to Max's floor.

"You didn't grab my luggage," Mariam said dryly as they walked down the hall. Max had been playing with his own set of keys, feeling her glare on the back of his head.

He stopped at his apartment and began to unlock the door. He glanced to her with a soft smile. "You haven't made your decision yet." She looked away as her expression became slightly less pensive.

With the click of the door unlocking, Max pushed it open and flicked on the lights. He held the door open for Mariam to step inside first, gesturing with his head. Mariam brushed past him to walk inside, her arms still crossed in defiance as her eyes looked around the room. School books were scattered on the table, but otherwise things were organized in a way that seemed to have an air of Max to them. She faltered somewhat as Max closed the door behind them, shuffling in the foyer.

"So, uh, this is it. Been here for a bit, like it better than the dorms." Mariam looked over at him, but he was too busy scratching his head and looking anywhere else. "Definitely like it better than with Mom."

"I could believe that..."

Max finally dared to meet her gaze. "Listen, we really need to talk." Mariam nodded. "Let's sit then?" he offered and the pair walked to the couch in his living room and sat on opposite ends. To Max it felt like they were miles apart, but he knew best to give distance when Mariam was mad at him. He cleared his throat. "I didn't want to spring this on you."

Mariam immediately looked to him skeptically. "Could've fooled me."

"I didn't know how to bring it up in a way that wouldn't feel like I'm trying to make a decision for _us_. I'm trying to make a decision for _me_." Still ever tense, Max sat poised on the couch with his hands on his knees. "This is mine, Mariam. The apartment, the car. There's no strings."

"No strings?" Mariam asked leaning on her hand as she sat against the armrest.

"I'm an adult now, I'm in University. I wanted things to be mine; I wanted things to be my decision... not my Mom's." Mariam shifted in her seat, her attention locked to Max who was more focused on his feet. "I want you, Mariam. I want us to be together and I felt like... I needed to do something to prove that." He shrugged his shoulders as his blue eyes peered over to his girlfriend. "I didn't think it was possible if you weren't welcomed where I lived."

"You did all this to shut your Mom up?" Mariam could feel her guilt welling up.

"I did this for us."

Mariam rolled her eyes, what a perfectly corny Max thing to say. "She's not going to be happy."

Max could feel her uneasiness and scooted closer to her on the couch. He placed his hand on top of hers and she reluctantly weaved their fingers together causing Max to smile. "This is all on me, you weren't even here."

"Like she's going to believe that." Mariam scoffed. "Maybe I persuaded you?"

"Maybe I should've brought her to the airport then," Max added sheepishly and Mariam sighed as the guilt continued to grow. The blond then brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "I'm sorry. I did call a bunch of hotels this morning to make sure there were rooms available for you."

"Of course you did."

"You must be tired, want to go so you can get some sleep?" Mariam stared at him oddly. "What? I didn't expect you to make your decision now..."

Mariam sighed, letting go of his hand as he watched her in confusion. "You make it really hard to stay mad at you," she said simply, moving closer to the dumbfounded blond and wrapping herself around him. She cuddled closer to him, burying her face in his chest and Max finally began to relax. He wrapped his arms around her as they laid back on the couch.

"Does this mean you'll stay...?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Those words were all Max wanted to hear.


End file.
